'The voice of God': Filipinos wrestle with death of Pope Francis
MANILA - Church bells rang out across the Philippines early Monday evening as Asia's bastion of Catholicism mourned the death of Pope Francis.
Residents in the capital were still processing the news. Some rushed to cathedrals to pray while others who spoke to AFP were not yet aware of his passing.
Outside the Baclaran Church in metro Manila, 23-year-old Jeslie Generan said the reality of the pope's death was only just sinking in.
"I was shocked because I had already read that he was OK, he was no longer sick, that his condition improved," she told AFP.
"When I opened Twitter and read it... I thought it was fake news."
Inside the soaring cathedral, a framed portrait of the pope affectionately known as "Lolo Kiko", or "grandfather Francis", sat next to a statue of Jesus, a candle to either side.
A handful of parishioners filed down after the sermon, kneeling and praying for Pope Francis in front of his picture.
"We feel the loss because he is the face of the Church," parishioner Marlon Delgado told AFP.
"I heard the news of his death on the television," said the 40-year-old, who attends mass every week.
"I was at first shocked and then a feeling of sadness overwhelmed me."
During an earlier visit to the capital's Manila Cathedral, AFP reporters found the pews in the dimly lit sanctuary largely empty and the altar's candles unlit shortly after news of the pontiff's death emerged.
But outside the massive structure, Jhayson Banquiles, 19, said the country's 85 million Catholics had lost the "voice of God".
"The pope's death is a big loss for Filipino Catholics. He is basically the voice of God here. Through him, we hear the word of God."
Vincent Abrena, 38, said he had learned of the death at his office.
"That's why after work I rushed to the cathedral ... to pray for him."
Pope Francis, who appointed three of the 10 Filipino cardinals in Church history, visited the archipelago nation only once, when he led a mass for survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan.
He came just over a year after the most powerful storm in Philippine history devastated fishing and farming towns and left more than 6,000 people dead in November 2013.
Hundreds of thousands of people turned out for his arrival, chanting "long live the pope" as he disembarked only to be pelted with rains and heavy winds.
"When I saw in Rome that catastrophe (the typhoon), I felt I had to be here. And on those very days, I decided to come here. I'm here to be with you," he said as many in the crowd clutched crucifixes and wept.
On Monday, a video about his visit had garnered more than five million views within two hours of its posting by a local news outlet.
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