Pope Francis connected with Filipinos deeply ‘you can feel it from afar’

MANILA, Philippines — Since Pope Francis’ passing on Monday, social media sites have been an avenue for Filipinos’ outpouring of gratitude, and fond memories of the late pontiff especially when he visited the country in 2015.

While any papal visit is important, Francis’ trip was even more significant because the Philippines, especially Eastern Visayas, was still reeling from the effects of Super Typhoon Yolanda two years prior.

In an interview with INQToday on Monday, hours after the pope died, former Office of the President official Katherine Adraneda recounted how the Pope was sincere in his eagerness to be with people affected by Yolanda.

“You can see it in him [the attitude]: ‘I want to be with the people. That’s why I’m here.’ So as much as possible, he didn’t pass up [the chance to see] anybody,” Adraneda, who was part of the team that made preparations for the papal visit, said.

“In fact, I remember, while he was celebrating Mass, the wind and the rain became stronger. But he went straight on reading the Bible and giving his homily. So that shows his desire to be with the people, to give them comfort. You can feel it from afar,” she added.

READ: Pope Francis: His presence gave comfort, strength to Yolanda survivors

Braved bad weather

Different social media pages and personalities, including journalists who covered the event, also remembered how Pope Francis braved through bad weather, blessing people while wearing a yellow raincoat.

READ: Pope Francis in PH: A look back at his 2015 trip to Manila, Leyte

Paul Padasas, the father of a young Filipino volunteer who died in an accident when Pope Francis celebrated Mass in Tacloban City, Leyte, said he was “at a loss for words” as the person who consoled him before was now gone.

Padasas met Francis after the Pope honored her 27-year-old daughter, Kristel Mae, during another mass at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.

“I am really in sorrow now. I was in disbelief when a relative told me, but sadness filled my heart when I checked the page of Vatican News,” he told INQUIRER.net.

READ: Pope Francis consoled him in his grief, now he mourns his passing

Catholic priest Francis Lucas, meanwhile, recalled the Pope’s humility, as he asked people to pray for him, a trait that is uncommon for pontiffs.

“I remember in my interviews when the Pope left the Philippines, one of the things he always said, and ended in his speeches was, please pray for me. And I was asked why he kept on saying that,” Lucas, president of the Catholic Media Network, said in an interview with INQ Today on Monday, after the Pope’s death.

“Because there were a lot of changes […] when the Pope visited us. But you know, we are so forgetful that the changes might just be blown by the wind,” he added.

READ: Pope always asked people to pray for him, Filipino priest recalls

Guiding light

Officials from Leyte, including House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre, meanwhile, thanked the Pope for being a guiding light and for standing with the province after Yolanda’s onslaught.

“It is with a heavy heart that I join the world in mourning the passing of Pope Francis, whom we in Leyte — and across the Philippines — lovingly called ‘Lolo Kiko’,” Romualdez, who represents Leyte’s first district, said.

“To us, he was more than a Pope. He was a father, a friend, a guiding light in times of darkness. I will never forget how he came to Tacloban in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda, when our people were suffering beyond words,” he added.

READ: Pope Francis was guiding light for Filipinos after Yolanda – Romualdez

But aside from what happened during the papal visit to Leyte and Manila, Filipinos also remembered Francis for ushering change in a Church riddled by controversies, a hardline stance on conservatism, and allegations of indifference to the poor and marginalized.

On Facebook, different clips and quote cards of Francis giving blunt but practical and wise answers to questions, especially on hard-pressing issues, have resurfaced.

At one point, Francis was asked by journalists aboard his plane about “Islamic violence”, after a priest in France was killed in an attack claimed by Isis, an extremist organization considered as a terrorist organization by many states.

Francis gave a sharp response, noting that if he were to talk about Islamic violence, he would also discuss Catholic violence as he saw news stories about people in Italy — baptized as Catholics — committing grave crimes against their relatives.

READ: Pope: Islam is not terrorism

LGBTQ stance

Francis also received praise for having a more tolerated stance on members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community, saying several times that he is not to judge if a person is good or bad.

The leader of the Catholic church also backed same-sex civil unions, noting that priests being scandalized when he gives blessings to members of the LGBTQ community are hypocrites because they are mum on blessings given to greedy businesspeople.

READ: Pope Francis says laws criminalizing LGBT people are a ‘sin’ and an injustice

Francis, an Argentinian cardinal born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, passed away early Monday morning in the Vatican, just a day after the Catholic world celebrated Easter Sunday to commemorate Jesus Christ’s resurrection.

He was 88.

Francis’ passing came after making a much-hoped-for appearance at Saint Peter’s Square.  Prior to his return to his duties, Francis suffered from a bout with pneumonia, during which insiders said he came close to dying twice.

He spent 38 days in the hospital before he was released on March 23.

(2025/04/22-14:11)