Welcome to the Philippines, Pope Francis!

In the year 1995, a well-loved Pope (Pope John Paul II) came here in the Philippines to be with the Filipino community, especially the youth, for the World Youth Day. And this year, 20 years after, another well-loved Pope has arrived for his Papal Visit! Welcome to the Philippines, Pope Francis!

Pope Francis standee at UST Church

January 15, 2015 – Pope Francis was scheduled to arrive at 5:45 PM at Villamor Air Base via the Sri Lankan Airlines. From there, the Pope will have a motorcade on his way to his official residence here in the Philippines, which is in the Apostolic Nunciature along Taft Avenue. On this day, I was able to see Pope Francis closer than I expected. Maybe it was meant for it to happen, so allow me to share with you an experience that I will treasure forever. 

Since last year, when it as announced that our beloved Pope Francis will pay a visit in our country this year, every Filipino Catholic’s dream is to be able to see him even from afar. So, when the Pope’s official itinerary was released, I was happy to know that he will be visiting UST on January 18, 2015. That’s when I was planning to see him knowing that I will have a greater chance since I live just across UST and I am a Thomasian alumni (I’ve heard that there will be gates allotted for the alumni and the rest of the Thomasian community). I know that I won’t be able to get close to the Pope because I know that there were already a lot of chosen participants. Nevertheless, I am hoping deep in my heart that I will have a chance to get close.

I wasn’t really planning on going out on the day of Pope’s arrival (January 15, 2015) because I wanted to see, even just on TV, the whole coverage: from the landing of the Pope’s aircraft until his motorcade to his official residence. But then I realized that I still need to fix something regarding my postpaid plan and that I needed to fix it on this day because it will already reach the cut-off date. So I immediately went to SM Manila, together with my mom. We were both in a hurry because I told her that I needed to catch the coverage. Unfortunately, the Globe personnel in SM, wasn’t able to help us so he referred us to Robinson’s Manila. Though a bit pissed, my mom and I still went to Robinson’s hurriedly just to fix the plan and to be able to still watch Pope’s arrival. After that, my dad met up with us after his training in his office nearby. It was around 3:30 PM, then, and I was already eager to go home to watch the Papal Visit coverage when my dad asked, “Gusto niyo salubungin si Pope?” Then I jokingly answered, “Asa naman na makasalubong tayo. For sure madami ng tao sa dadaanan niya.” But my mom said, “Subukan natin?” All of us wanted to see Pope, so we walked and walked towards Taft, which was just near the mall. We still went even though we were not sure if we will be able to see the Pope because of the large volume of people who were already there since morning. 

A portion of the crowd eager to see Pope Francis.

After a few more minutes of walking, we were able to find a good spot. It was just around 4 PM that time and though we know that we are still going to wait much longer, we decided to stay. We have gained a few acquaintances while waiting. We talked to each other and ate some snacks to divert our attention. But one thing is for sure, each and every one of us there were so excited to see Pope Francis. Another fact, we were actually fortunate enough to be staying beside a TV coverage, which kept us updated from time to time.

A TV coverage just beside us.

The sky is getting darker, then, and the crowd is getting really excited to see the Pope, but the people still kept on coming and no one wanted to go home when suddenly, the crowd started cheering. That was when we realized that the Sri Lankan Airlines, where the Pope is, have already landed. On that moment, you can feel each and every one’s energy. Every one became so alive, including me, as if we did not wait and stand for hours! This is it! We are going to see Pope Francis!

A 'selfie' while waiting for Pope Francis.

We actually waited for a few more minutes but it doesn’t matter any more. When I saw lights approaching, I knew that it was already the Pope’s motorcade! All of me cheered so hard! I kept on shouting, “Pope Francis!” and when I saw him right across me, I was speechless but there was a huge smile on my face! It felt as if it was a dream, but it was true! It was happening! He was so bright and looked like he was glowing and he was smiling all the time. It actually happened so fast because the Pope mobile was, well, really fast. It was just approximately 2-3 seconds, but that 2-3 seconds, surely, have a special place in my heart! 2-3 seconds that I will treasure forever!

Here are a few snapshots from Pope Francis' motorcade:

(These snapshots were screen-captured from my video which you can see on my instagram account: eunicehermina)

When we were on our way home, my mom and I were sharing our experiences. Mine was, “Oh my gosh! Nakita ko si Pope Francis! Waaah! Super saya ko. Super pagod ako, actually, at super sakit na ng likod ko pero nung dumaan na siya, nawala ng lahat. Parang panaginip pero totoo! Ang saya ko, super!!! Kahit super bilis lang, worth it ang paghihintay! Di ko inexpect na ganun siya kalapit sa atin. Thank you, Lord! Love you!” 

My family!

Pope Francis gives me so much hope and I’m sure the same goes for a lot of people. I don’t know how, but he surely does it. Truly an instrument of God! Thank you, God, for this wonderful and humbling experience! Looking forward to seeing Pope Francis again in UST on January 18, 2015! 

I am hoping to see the Pope also in Vatican, hopefully, in the near future! J