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| The Quadcentennial Altar with the Emblem of Pope Francis. |
Manila, Philippines, October 26, 2014 - Pope Francis voiced
concern for the millions of Filipinos living in poverty and the victims of
natural disasters as hundreds of thousands of people gathered yesterday for a
Mass beside Manila Bay in an outpouring of religious fervor.
“In the midst of our joy on this occasion we cannot forget our Filipino brothers and sisters who live in difficult social and economic conditions, and those who are trying to recover from the natural disasters which have occurred with a certain frequency in recent times,” he told the crowd. The Pontiff, celebrating the first public mass of his four-day visit from October 23 to 27, 2014, singled out the victims of the November 3-11, 2013 Super Typhoon Yolanda whose led to death of at least 6,340 people and the July 16-18, 2014 Typhoon Glenda whose led to death of at least 187 people.
“I ask God to strengthen and comfort those who have lost
their loved ones, their homes, their livelihood, and I earnestly hope that
their appeals for further help and solidarity will not go unheard”, he said.
Half of the 100 Million Population of the Philippines is
considered to be living below the poverty line, and the country is regularly
hit by natural disasters like tropical storms and earthquakes.
The Pope cautioned people to confuse the church in the
Philippines, Asia's only Christian-majority nation with "some merely human
or humanitarian organization."
Official estimates put the crowd at more than a million
people but witnesses said it appeared much smaller.
If the crowd was smaller, than Roman Catholic Church leaders
of the Philippines had hoped for, it made up for the lack of numbers with
fervor at the sight of the Pope.
"MABUHAY!"
At one point, the 76-year-old pontiff replied to the cries
of Mabuhay ang Santo Papa (Long Live Holy Father) with his own "Mabuhay
ang Filipino People" from the High Altar specially constructed with a
Pyramid Canopy.
At the end of the Mass on the big open area beside a gaudy
fairground along Manila Bay, hundreds of people descended on the flower-decked
platform, after the Pope had left, to snatch souvenirs. Children tried out his
throne-like chair.
Security was intense for the Mass marking the 420th
Anniversary of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila and other Regions of the
Philippine Islands after they were conquered by Spain.
Even the Pope's own Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro
Parolin was frisked before being allowed to join archbishops, bishops,
cardinals, deacons monsignors, reverend fathers, pastors throughout Asia,
Oceania, North America, South America, Europe and Africa for the Mass.
He smiled broadly as he was checked for weapons with a metal
detector, part of the security measures imposed after the Philippine Police
arrested at least two people suspected of plotting to harm the Pope.
The Pontiff, was lifted to the top of the flower-decked
platform for the Mass by a Philippine Airlines Airport Hoist.
And he paid tribute to the "spiritual joy" of the
Filipino people - expressed in their traditional way through song.
"I thank the Filipino people, the Wonderful Filipino
people," the Pontiff told the cheering crowd. "My heart is going out
to all of them, to all the Filipino men and women, to all the men and women
from all countries of the world."
Yesterday, October 24 was the busiest day of the Pope's
five-day visit to the Philippines, which began Thursday, October 23. Following
the Morning Mass, he met with Asian bishops, attended the 45th foundation
anniversary of the Catholic radio station DZRV Radio Veritas 846 and visited
people during an evening vigil at 6:00 P.M. at Quirino Grandstand, Rizal Park, Manila.
Vatican sources said the 74-year-old pontiff would also
broadcast a message to the 1.2 billion people of China, whose government has
refused to allow Roman Catholics to acknowledge papal supremacy for six
decades.
“Go and make disciples of all nations”
Pope Francis' message at
the Mass yesterday (October 25, 2014) at the Philippine International Convention Center.
"Full authority has
been given to me both in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples
of all the nations" (Matthew 28,
18-19).
Dear Brothers and Sisters
in Christ,
1. These words from today’s
Gospel take on a special meaning in the context of the Jubilee which, together
with the visit, the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines is celebrating. Four
hundred and twenty years ago, in 1595, the first Ecclesiastical
Province was set up on these Islands: the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila and the
Dioceses of Cebu, Caceres and Nueva Segovia.
I greet the whole Filipino
people, wonderful Filipino people. I greet all their Pastors. I thank Cardinal
Tagle for these kind words of welcome. I greet also His Excellency President
Benigno S. Aquino the Third and the Authorities.
The establishment of a
Metropolitan Church in the Philippines bore witness to the fact that the
work of the first missionaries had borne abundant fruit. The process of
planting and building up the Church had already taken place in other parts of
the world, especially in the European countries. In the case of my own Poland,
it had taken place in the year 1000. Later, the same thing happened in the
countries of South America, Central America and North America. So it happened
and continues to happen in Africa, in Australia and throughout Oceania, and on
the continent of Asia. All this has a meaning that is not just a question of
ecclesiastical administration. The Church is a living body. Like a
living body, at a certain point she reaches a stage of maturity which
makes it possible for a particular Church to give life to other Churches like
itself.
Plantatio Ecclesiae.
Mysterium plantationis Ecclesiae. Paulus plantavit; Apollo rigavit. Deus autem
incrementum dedit. I see that Filipino
people are understanding very well Latin.
2. Four hundred years ago the
Church in Manila became the Metropolitan See for the Church in Cebu, Caceres
and Nueva Segovia. In the space of these four centuries the number of
the particular Churches in the Philippines has greatly increased. Those
first four Dioceses have each become a Metropolitan See, and alongside them
numerous particular Churches have developed and continue to grow. In this part
of the world it is the Philippines which enjoys the greatest wealth of
ecclesial life. Plantatio fecunda, fecundissima.
Dear brothers and sisters,
we have come together here to give thanks to God precisely for
this grace, great grace of God. Not just you who have come from all over the
Philippines, but also representatives of the Churches throughout Asia and the
Far East. As I see also many Cardinals from Europe, and from Africa, from Asia.
All together we greet the delegates of the other Christian Churches and
Communities, as well as the representatives of other religions. For me it is a
great joy to be here with you on this day, as Bishop of Rome and Successor of
Saint Peter. Peter was the first in "plantatio Ecclesiae" in Rome and
from Rome. "Plantatio Ecclesiae" in Manila, in the Philippines,
Peter, Successor of Peter, also a grace. Together let us praise God for the
grace of this Four Hundred and Twentieth Anniversary. In one great chorus let us commend
the Church in the Philippines and the whole Nation to God’s Providence: "Save
your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance"(Psalm 28 (27), 9).
In the midst of our joy on
this occasion we cannot forget our Filipino brothers and sisters who live in
difficult social and economic conditions, and those who are trying to recover
from the natural disasters which have occurred with a certain frequency in
recent times. I am thinking in particular of the victims of the
typhoons Yolanda and Glenda and its after-effects. I ask God to strengthen and
comfort those who have lost their loved ones, their homes, their livelihood,
and I earnestly hope that their appeals for further help and solidarity will
not go unheard. And I think also there are many Filipinos in Rome, in Italy and
through the world. I greet all of them. They are also the same inheritance.
They are also celebrating this centenary.
3. Today, we cannot fail to
remember the first messengers of the Good News who came to
these Islands. Their origins were in Spain, for it was above all the
Iberian Peninsula which gave rise to that great missionary thrust which
followed the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. At that same time
other brave explorers were travelling south and east, round Africa by way of
the Cape of Good Hope, through the Indian Ocean, towards Asia and the Far East.
Those remarkable voyages opened up for the Church vast new horizons for her
evangelizing mission. It was in that context that the evangelization of the
Philippines began.
It is significant
that the first Episcopal See in Manila was originally attached
to Mexico, in spite of the enormous distance involved in crossing the Pacific
Ocean. Clearly that was a temporary measure, until the first independent
Ecclesiastical Province was erected in the Philippines, precisely in 1595.
After hesitation at the beginning, the missionary Church of that early period
gradually became more truly Filipina as the number of native-born priests and
Bishops increased.
Looking back today on that
past, we must express our thankfulness to God for those pioneers who laid the
foundations of the Church in this land: for the Augustinians who were the first
to arrive, followed by the Franciscans, the Jesuits, the Dominicans and the
Augustinian Recollects. The early missionaries who sought to defend the native
peoples from the abuses of the conquistadores and encomenderos found
a vigorous leader in the Dominican Fray Domingo de Salazar, the first Bishop of
Manila. As early as 1582 he summoned the first Synod, which decided many
questions regarding conquest, settlement and administration in accordance with
the principles of the faith and Christian morality.
A wonderful process, a
wonderful history, history of the Church, history of salvation, history of
Filipino people. All of us, all of you Filipinos today, you are the
inheritance, the successors in this great process, great process.
4. Saint Paul writes to the
Ephesians: "May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
grant you a spirit of wisdom and insight... that you may know the great
hope to which he has called you... and the immeasurable scope of his
power in us who believe" (Eph. 1, 17-19). What Saint Paul wished
for the Christian community at Ephesus is what I wish today for the Catholic
people of the Philippines. I pray above all that you will appreciate ever more
fully the grace of your Christian vocation as explained by the Second Vatican
Council in its Constitution on the Church (Cfr. Lumen Gentium,
40).
This vocation has its
beginning and source in Christ himself. All Christians live by the
inexhaustible riches given to us in him. Saint John of the Cross, the great
Spanish mystic who lived just at the time when the evangelization of the
Philippines was getting underway, reminds us of this fact. He wrote in
the Spiritual Canticle: "(Christ) is like a rich mine with
many recesses containing treasures, and no matter how men try to fathom them
the end is never reached" (Saint John of the Cross, Spiritual
Canticle, st. 36). Christ is so rich!
In the work of the
missionaries and in their service to the people, the power of Christ, Crucified
and Risen, was being manifested – the power of Christ, who is seated at the
right hand of the Father and who, as Redeemer and Bridegroom of the Church,
works through her in the Holy Spirit. It is very important not to confuse the
Church with some merely human or humanitarian organization. The Church
lives and grows in Christ and through Christ. All her members, in their
thoughts and actions, are called to bear witness to the living presence of the
Redeemer.
5. The Father, as we read in
the Letter to the Ephesians, "has put all things under Christ’s feet and has
made him thus exalted, head of the Church, which is his body" (Eph.
1,22-23). That is why, after his Resurrection, Christ sent out the Apostles
with the words: "Full authority has been given to me both in
heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18). This saving
power of the Redeemer is what sustained the missionaries who came to the
Philippines in the sixteenth century. This same power is what has preserved the
sons and daughters of your nation in living their lives as Christians, in
forming Christian families, in educating your children in the faith. By doing
all of this, your forefathers laid the foundations of the only predominantly
Catholic country in this part of the world, a region which still presents an
enormous challenge for evangelization. In time, children of this land, as
priests and Bishops, took over full pastoral responsibility, while others
filled the ranks of the congregations of men and women religious, so that the
Church which is "the fullness of him who fills the universe in all its parts"(Eph.
1, 23) would be truly catholic and universal, but also truly immersed in the
life and culture of these Islands.
6. Today therefore is a day of
great joy: rejoice in great
gratitude to the Lord. The Responsorial Psalm contains an appropriate
invitation: "All you people, clap your hands, shout to God with cries of
gladness... For the king of all the earth is God... God reigns over all the
nations" (Psalm
47(46),2.8-9). The faith which springs from the Gospel transforms the life both
of individuals and of nations. For four hundred years the Church has served as
a leaven and as a kind of soul for Philippine society, most of all by her
healing and elevating impact on respect for the human person, and by the way in
which she strengthens families and communities, and imbues everyday activity
with a deeper meaning and reference to God (Cfr. Gaudium et Spes, 40).
Inspired by their faith, Filipino Catholics have begun countless initiatives
for the good of society, in the fields of education, healthcare and service of
all kinds. Out of the Church’s religious mission during these four hundred
years there came a light and an energy which have served to structure and
consolidate the human community according to the divine law (Cfr. Gaudium et Spes, 42). This
is the source of our joy. This is the source for our joy and our gratitude
to the Lord, the Almighty Father. This is the reason for the Philippine
Church’s joy, visible in this celebration, with all the color and vitality of
your culture and Christian traditions. But this is also your task and
responsibility: to remain faithful to what has been handed down and to
build on it, so that God’s law will abide in your hearts and his blessings will
increasingly be poured out on your nation.
A great boost to our joy is
given by the people of the World Youth Day who have come to
Manila from every corner of the Philippines, from many parts of Asia and the
Far East, and from the other continents. They are the sign and the confirmation
of your living faith. My heart is going to all of them, to all the Filipino
young men and women, and to all young men and women of the whole world, of so
many countries of the world... European, Asiatic, Africa, America, North
America, Latin America, Central America, Australia, all the continents.
7. The joy of the human heart
springs from the presence of God in us, in our hearts. Isaiah writes: "All
who... hold to my covenant I will bring to my holy mountain and make joyful in
my house of prayer". The spiritual joy of God’s people in the Philippines
has two fundamental points of reference: the house of prayer and the holy
mountain. First, the community gathers in "the house of prayer"(Is.
56, 6-7) – which is the home, or a chapel, a parish church or a cathedral – to
celebrate the mysteries of our redemption and to profess the one, holy,
catholic and apostolic faith. From there God’s pilgrim people go forth to
ascend "the holy mountain": marching forward in hope towards the
fullness of God’s kingdom, all the time striving to make present and operative
at every level of your personal and national life that kingdom of holiness,
justice, peace and solidarity. So two points: the house of prayer and the holy
mountain, being together and ascending with Christ into heaven, into his
kingdom. All that is inspired by the liturgical texts as of today’s liturgy.
8. Filipino People of God: at
every Mass you hear the call to lift up your hearts: Sursum corda!
Lift up your heart, holy
Church, which in four centuries has built a solid dwelling place for God in these
Islands! So numerous islands, Filipino islands, wonderful islands!
Whole generations have gone
up from here to the Holy Mountain, where the God of glory dwells. The sign of
this ascent are your Filipino Saints, beginning with Saint Lorenzo
Ruiz whom I had the joy to beatify here in Manila and to canonize in Rome. They
remain closely united with you in the Communion of the Saints. They
show you the way to God, which is the fulfilment of the vocation of each
and every human being.
Rejoice, Filipino people,
holy Church of Manila, Cebu, Caceres, Nueva Segovia! Rejoice, every Filipino family, every Filipino Diocese and
parish! Rejoice, for it has pleased the Father to give you the kingdom! This
promise of the Father is fulfilled unceasingly through the power of Christ: to
him be honor and glory for ever! Amen.
A long homily, but not too long for this occasion!
Mabuhay, to all Filipino people! Long live!
Very, very, very grateful for this celebration, for this great festivity of the
Church in the Philippines.
Very grateful to almighty God!
Very grateful to all of you!
Viva Manila, Cebu, Caceres, Nueva Segovia!
Thank you very much!
Mabuhay!
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