Thank you, Pope Francis!

After his five day trip to the Philippines, Pope Francis finally bid farewell to the Filipino faithful earlier today.

Sa aking mga kaibigan sa Sri Lanka at Pilipinas: Naway pagpalain kayo ng Diyos. Sana´y patuloy niyo akong ipagdasal.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) January 19, 2015

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Things didn't go perfectly throughout the Papal visit, though. Typhoon Amang (international name Mekkhala) threatened to cancel the Tacloban leg of the Pope's trip. To minimize the impact of the storm, the Pope's visit to Tacloban was shortened by a few hours to make sure he would be back in Manila when the winds are at their strongest. It was amazing to see the crowds in yellow raincoats brave the inclement weather just to see the Pope and hear him celebrate mass at the Tacloban airport. As expected, the Pope delivered an emotional homily, with many people in crowd in tears as they remembered what they lost during Typhoon Yolanda.

Sunday was the Pope's last full day in Manila. He spent the morning in UST where he met with leaders of various religions and with the youth. Later that day, he made his way to Quirino Grandstand for his concluding mass. To pay homage to the Philippines, the Popemobile he used was an upgraded jeepney. Cool!

photo courtesy of Erik De Castro/ Reuters from https://ph.news.yahoo.com

As estimated 6 million people were at the Rizal Park complex for the concluding mass. This set a new record for a papal gathering, surpassing the 5 million attendees during the mass held by Pope John Paul II also in Rizal Park back in 1995.
 
As everyone is still in a state of euphoria, I am hopeful that people will take to heart the messages that Pope Francis shared with us these last few days. The theme of this visit was "Mercy and Compassion" and throughout his visit, he continued to ask Filipinos to do what they can to help the poor and not simply by just giving alms. He has asked us to fight against corruption at all levels. And he has reminded us to learn how to weep as this will help us understand our less-fortunate brothers and sisters more and be motivated to do something for them. Hopefully, this record-setting Papal visit will have longer term effects and the words of Pope Francis can spur more people into positive action or trigger a spiritual revival.