{UAH} Very huge ecstatic crowds welcome Pope Francis in the Philippines

Millions of Filipinos lined the streets of Manila from the airport to the Apostolic Nunciature
to have a glimpse of the popular Pope who has arrived in the Philippines on a four-day pastoral visit.
Travelling on a Sri lankan national airliner the ¨Pope arrived at Manila airport towards 5.20 pm local time
and as soon as the plane landed all bells in all churches in the Philippines tolled and people danced and
embraced each other in an unprecedented happy moment. The Pope is travelling with a 35-man delegation
from the Vatican.And the authorities in the Philippines have declared a three-day public holiday that will help
ease things in the vast city whose 14 million inhabitants arer all ready to have a glimpse of the Pope.
As Pope Francis descended on the tarmac deafening cheers and ululations from the thousands of people who had
gatrhered at the airport greeted him in the presence of the President, ministers, religious leaders and crowds of very
eminent personalities. The President and Manila's very influential Cardinal Tagle surrounded him as a young girl presented
him with a bouquet of yellow and white flowers ( Vatican's colours ). There were no speeches, as these were programmed
to take place at the presidential palace. But there were introductions of both the Philippines and Vatican officials.
All this time thousands of specially prepared youths were busy dancing and singing to welcome the Pope who now walked
on the long red carpet to join his popemobile for the nunciature.And time was 6 pm. when the Pope together with Cardinal Tagle
and a Vatican official got on the popemobile. Preceded and followed byu dozens of cars police motorcycles and media vans the
motorcade took over an hour to reach the nunciature situated 11 km from the airport, all along the streets of the very vast agglomerations
very deep cheering crowds numbering millions had squeezed in thick masses on the entire route the papal motorcade took. Close to 50,000
security personnel were at worto control the vast crowds many of whom will be among the expected 6 million people that will turn up for the Sunday Pontifical Mass.
The Pope has insisted on using this pastoral visit to speak for the poor, and he is expected to say much about their plight in the Philippines.
Having obtained tremendous successes in Sri Lanka where he was seen off by the President and the entire cabinet an,d all important
religious leaders the Pope is now ready to pocket another series of successes in the Philippines where he is an extremely very popular
figure.
While there he will enjoy to know how the world has sincerely welcomed the statement he made on the flight to Manila when replying to
a question put to him by a journalist, he firmly condemned as evil any killing in the name of God, and further condemned with vigour any
kind of caricaturing aimed at any particular religion,.

Dr G.H. Kkolokolo ( Paris / France )

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