Latest news with #SuperTyphoonHaiyan
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Shared loss': Filipino Catholics bid Pope Francis farewell
Filipino faithful prayed the rosary inside a Manila church on Saturday as the funeral of Pope Francis played overhead on large screens. Young people crowded into the front rows of the Sacred Heart Parish Shrine, where a trio of large fans kept parishioners cool as four days of national mourning in Asia's Catholic bastion neared an end. Giving people a place to share their pain and loss was an "act of gratitude," parish priest Father Randy Flores told AFP. "Pope Francis is special for Filipinos because he came here and we saw his impact on the faithful, especially his message of peace and caring for the vulnerable and the poor," Flores said. "Filipinos really love him." Known to many Filipinos as "Lolo Kiko", or "grandfather Francis", the pope visited in 2015, when he ministered to the survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan, the deadliest storm in the country's history. Within hours of the announcement of his death this week, bells were rung and requiem masses were held at churches across the country of more than 90 million Catholics. On Saturday, as Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re delivered his homily in Rome, Joylene Sto. Domingo, 38, recounted how she had strained to catch a glimpse of the pontiff as he passed by on the streets of the capital. You could feel his kindness even from afar, the church youth advisor said. "As the faithful, our faith was reenergised and doubled" by his visit, she said. "He really cared for our youth," she added. "That's why he is our pope." Nedji Lee, a grade 9 student and parish volunteer, told AFP his own fondest memory of Pope Francis had come courtesy of a TikTok video. "He was asked if he could grant only one miracle (what would it be), and he answered that he wanted to heal all the sick children," the 16-year-old remembered. "It made me want to be a better person, a better Catholic." The funeral in Rome was still ongoing when the Manila service concluded. Some stayed and watched silently as the pageantry unfolded on the screens. The young people gathered around a framed photo of the pontiff to snap a group picture, then rushed off for promised snacks. Sister Imaniar Rusani, an Indonesian nun assigned to the Philippines, told AFP she had come to the service because it felt right to be with fellow believers for the funeral. "It's good to be with the people," she said, adding she was unbothered by the service being conducted mostly in Filipino, a language she does not speak. "What we have here is shared loss and faith, there's no language for that." pam-cwl/lb
Int'l Business Times
26-04-2025
- General
- Int'l Business Times
'Shared Loss': Filipino Catholics Bid Pope Francis Farewell
Filipino faithful prayed the rosary inside a Manila church on Saturday as the funeral of Pope Francis played overhead on large screens. Young people crowded into the front rows of the Sacred Heart Parish Shrine, where a trio of large fans kept parishioners cool as four days of national mourning in Asia's Catholic bastion neared an end. Giving people a place to share their pain and loss was an "act of gratitude," parish priest Father Randy Flores told AFP. "Pope Francis is special for Filipinos because he came here and we saw his impact on the faithful, especially his message of peace and caring for the vulnerable and the poor," Flores said. "Filipinos really love him." Known to many Filipinos as "Lolo Kiko", or "grandfather Francis", the pope visited in 2015, when he ministered to the survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan, the deadliest storm in the country's history. Within hours of the announcement of his death this week, bells were rung and requiem masses were held at churches across the country of more than 90 million Catholics. On Saturday, as Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re delivered his homily in Rome, Joylene Sto. Domingo, 38, recounted how she had strained to catch a glimpse of the pontiff as he passed by on the streets of the capital. You could feel his kindness even from afar, the church youth advisor said. "As the faithful, our faith was reenergised and doubled" by his visit, she said. "He really cared for our youth," she added. "That's why he is our pope." Nedji Lee, a grade 9 student and parish volunteer, told AFP his own fondest memory of Pope Francis had come courtesy of a TikTok video. "He was asked if he could grant only one miracle (what would it be), and he answered that he wanted to heal all the sick children," the 16-year-old remembered. "It made me want to be a better person, a better Catholic." The funeral in Rome was still ongoing when the Manila service concluded. Some stayed and watched silently as the pageantry unfolded on the screens. The young people gathered around a framed photo of the pontiff to snap a group picture, then rushed off for promised snacks. Sister Imaniar Rusani, an Indonesian nun assigned to the Philippines, told AFP she had come to the service because it felt right to be with fellow believers for the funeral. "It's good to be with the people," she said, adding she was unbothered by the service being conducted mostly in Filipino, a language she does not speak. "What we have here is shared loss and faith, there's no language for that." Pope Francis was known to many Filipinos as 'Lolo Kiko' AFP
Eyewitness News
22-04-2025
- General
- Eyewitness News
'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.
