Drill #1

            As six million people were in attendance in the concluding mass of Pope Francis last Jan. 18, streets were congested by Catholic devotees. Will this be an implication that the Filipino’s Catholic fate has been renewed by the recent papal visit?

            Crowds drew to a flock as early as 5PM the previous day; Jan. 17 from people who came as far as Visayas to hear mass led by the Pontiff and join what was believed to be the most number of attendees to be present at a Eucharistic celebration, beating the previous number of five million at Pope not Saint John Paul II’s mass 20 years earlier in commemoration of World Youth Day.

            Despite the fear of stampede to happen because of the majority who occupied the Quirino Grandstand and almost the whole of Luneta, people coordinated with the protocol issued upon by authorities: no umbrellas, no backpacks.

            While in Tacloban on the third day of his visit, Francis was loved by its people notwithstanding the threat brought about by Typhoon “Amang” who welcomed him to hear mass. The Pope in turn delivered a message consoling those who lost family members, friends and cohorts due to Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name “Haiyan”) and gave hope to start anew.

            Filipinos were keen as to where the Pope will for next, tracing his move and following the motorcade delivering him to his next scheduled activity. Security was also on an all-time high to make sure that the leader of the Catholic Church was to be safe on his second leg of his Asian tour.

            Days before the coming of Francis, President Noynoy Aquino urged Filipinos to help make the Pontiff’s visit a success in a nationally televised addressed last Jan. 12, quoting “I ask you, do you want a tragedy involving the Pope happen in the Philippines?”

            Since the coming of the Pope, did it leave any mark onto people on how they have been encouraged to be more strengthened in their faith?

            “Para sa akin, may kabuluhan naman yung pagbisita ng Santo Papa dito sa bansa. Dahil siguro sa kanya, nagbalik-loob ako sa Diyos” (“For me, the Pope’s visit was something. Because of him, I gave my faith onto God once more.”), said a devotee who has been an atheist for some time but has decided to give religion another try due to attending the concluding mass. “Iba yung karanasan ko nung nandoon ako. Kahit siksikan, tiniis ko iyon para bigyan ulit ng tsansa ang paniniwala ko. Buti na lang ginawa ko. “(“It was a different experience when I was there. Even if it was crowded, I endured it to give my belief a second chance. Good thing, I did it,” she added.

            The general public says that Filipinos, to some extent, chose that their religion has been refurbished by the Papal visit, even impressing those who are not members of the church, saying that the incumbent Pope did not deliver his message not for Catholics only, but for all Filipinos.