Colombo, Sri Lanka, Jan 14, 2015 / 10:29 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis can expect a warm and enthusiastic welcome in the Philippines, say two natives of the country who work in media. “People are starting to line up from the airport to the apostolic nunciature,” Father Gregory Gaston, rector of Rome’s Pontifical Collegio Filippino, told CNA Jan. 15. “I am sure that the Pope will be happy when he meets the people because they have really been preparing for quite some time,” he said at Sri Lanka’s Colombo International Airport before the Pope departed for Manila. Father Gaston, who also serves as a correspondent for the Philippine Catholic radio station Radyo Veritas, said several Philippines TV channels have had short segments about the Pope’s upcoming trip for quite some time now. Starting Jan. 15, Pope Francis begins his five-day visit to the Philippines, a country where 86 percent of its 98.4 million people identify as Catholic. “I am sure this will be a great occasion of grace, not only for people gathering together, but really of grace being showered by the Lord upon us,” the priest said. Lynda Jumilla Abalos, a journalist with the Philippines’ ABS CBN News, said the Pope is a very popular man in the country. “I hope the Pope will see how much the Filipino Catholics love him, and will see how overwhelmingly popular he is in the Philippines,” she said. The Philippines’ people love the Pope so much, in fact, that Father Gaston said their excitement is probably the biggest security concern of the trip at this point. “…people here really love the Pope, and they might just (overwhelm) him or stand too close to him, and make the security people nervous,” he said, laughing. As many as 6 million people are expected to attend Sunday Mass with Pope Francis in Manila. Signs of an eager welcome were evident on social media Thursday morning, when the phrase “Welcome to the Philippines Pope Francis” was trending on Twitter worldwide and in the Philippines. "Welcome to the Philippines Pope Francis" is trending worldwide! Let's all welcome @Pontifex to Manila! #PopeInPH pic.twitter.com/71tYi41lWC — Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) January 15, 2015 Often called the “Pope of the poor,” the Holy Father’s care and concern for the disadvantaged has truly resonated with many people in the Philippines, particularly the victims of the disastrous Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Typhoon Yolanda). The December 2013 storm killed thousands of people and left hundreds of thousands homeless. “The words of the Pope the morning after the typhoon struck got to the people right away, and they know his concern for the poor and the victims,” Abalos said. “The middle class admire him for his determination to introduce reforms in the Church, and the elite have always looked up to the leaders of the Catholic Church… every social class is looking forward to the visit.” Father Gaston said he is also personally looking forward to going home. “This is a very great blessing for me,” he said. “It’s always good to go home, it’s been a while because I’m based in Rome. So this is an opportunity for me to visit my home as well as accompany the Pope.” There is a tropical storm that may hit the Philippines during Pope Francis’ visit, but Father Gaston said the Holy Father is prepared for the possibility of rain. The Philippines visit is the second leg of Pope Francis’ latest trip. He departed Sri Lanka on Thursday morning after a three-day visit. Read more

Colombo, Sri Lanka, Jan 14, 2015 / 08:46 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis departed Sri Lanka for the Philippines on Thursday morning after an eventful trip to the island country. The Pope walked down the red carpet at the International Airport of Co... Read more

Manila, Philippines, Jan 14, 2015 / 05:18 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- With Pope Francis arriving in the Philippines on Thursday, the Archbishop of Manila is asking that the faithful pray for favorable weather, as a tropical storm is heading for Tacloban, where the Pope will visit on Saturday. Tropical Storm Amang is expected to have maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, and gusts up to 80 mph. “Our beloved Pope Francis will be with us soon,” Cardinal Luis Tagle of Manila said Jan. 14. “On Saturday he will be in Tacloban, Leyte on a very special mission of mercy and compassion. Unfortunately during the past days heavy rains have poured over the island because of a low pressure area in the seas near it.” “Let us turn to prayer for good weather for the visit of the Holy Father. Let us implore the God of creation to clear the skies when Pope Francis arrives and stays in Tacloban so that all who are there will experience comfort as they welcome and listen to his message.” Pope Francis will visit Tacloban, one of the areas hardest-hit by 2013's Typhoon Yolanda, on Saturday, saying Mass and then lunching with survivors of the typhoon. He will also bless a local center for the poor, and address priests, religious, seminarians, and families of typhoon survivors. Cardinal Tagle offered this prayer to ask for favorable weather during Pope Francis' visit: Almighty Father, we raise our hearts to you in gratitude for the wonders of creation, for your providence in sustaining us in our needs, and for your wisdom that guides the course of the universe. God our Father, we pray to you for good weather and clear skies when our beloved Pope Francis lands on our shores. We pray especially that when he encounters the people of Tacloban it will be under fair and comfortable situations, so that all may experience fully the warmth of his presence. We know that nothing is impossible to you and we ask this of you with humble and contrite hearts, but confident always of your solicitude and providence. We ask this through Your Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen. Read more

Colombo, Sri Lanka, Jan 14, 2015 / 05:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Prompted by Pope Francis' visit and in keeping with the ongoing theme of reconciliation, more than 600 men and women were released from prisons throughout the island nation of Sri Lanka on Wednesday. The released prisoners “were minor offenders and those above the age of 75,” prisons spokesman Thushara Upuldeniya said Jan. 14. Of the 612 prisoners released from 28 prisons, 575 were men and 37 were women. Upuldeniya noted that they were released under a “special presidential pardon” to mark the Holy Father's visit. The prisoners' release coincides with the theme of reconciliation, which has been at the center of Pope Francis' apostolic visit to Sri Lanka, which still healing from nearly three decades of civil war. “The Pope is coming at an auspicious time,” said Andrew Mann, charge d'affaires at the US embassy in Sri Lanka, speaking with CNA on Jan. 14 at the canonization of Saint Joseph Vaz. “He’s bringing a message of peace and reconciliation,” Mann added, remarking on “the hundreds of thousands of people from all religious groups and ethnic groups, here to celebrate the Pope’s message.” One of the key events on the Pope's agenda, more than half a million people attended the canonization Mass for the 17th century missionary said at Galle Face Green in Colombo, Sri Lanka's largest city. Pope Francis' visit to the island nation comes less than six years after the end of an ethnic conflict which claimed the lives of an estimated 80,000-100,000 people. From 1983-2009, the island was gripped by intermittent war between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers, who sought an independent Tamil state in the northeast of the country. Tensions between the country's two largest ethnic groups, the Tamils and Sinhalese, played a significant role in the conflict. In his homily for the canonization, Pope Francis reiterated the theme of reconciliation, calling the nation's Christians to “be confirmed in their faith and make an ever greater contribution to peace, justice and reconciliation in Sri Lankan society.” “This is what Christ asks of you. This is what Saint Joseph teaches you. This is what the Church needs of you,” the Pope said. This theme of reconciliation extended beyond the words of the Holy Father. The vestments for the Mass, for instance, were made by widows of the soldiers who died during the civil war. After Mass, Pope Francis traveled by helicopter to the north of the country to visit the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary in Madhu. Greeted by 500,000 pilgrims, the Holy Father reflected on the need for healing, looking to Mary as an example of forgiveness. By visiting both the north and south of Sri Lanka, Fr. Shamindra Jayawardena, O.S.B. said, the Pope “has already joined both the south and the north, both communities, together.” The 17th century Marian shrine, established amid the Dutch invasion and persecution of the Catholic Church, is a main pilgrimage site for Catholics in Sri Lanka and is a symbol of reconciliation. Fr. Jayawardena noted that both Sinhalese and Tamils frequent the shrine, “coming to join hand in hand.” “Madhu has been a place for all Sri Lankans, all groups, all ethnic groups,” he said. “It is place of reconciliation, because Our Blessed Mother brings all her children together, and the one shepherd Who is Jesus Christ.” Over the course of his visit, beginning on the evening of Jan. 12, Pope Francis has met with various pilgrims and political officials, and took part in an inter-religious gathering. Weather permitting, the Holy Father will conclude his visit to Sri Lanka Jan. 15, at which point he will depart for the Philippines. Sr. Prumelie Fernando of the Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help stressed that the people of Sri Lanka, both northern and southern, are still in need of reconciliation. “People are ready to reconcile themselves,” she said. “They are ready to accept these challenges.” Read more