akame2304 仁ジエ⚽진제

Pope Francis left at around 10AM today. he was carrying his own bag upon arrival at the Villamor Air Base, walking the red carpet, going up the stairs to his waiting flight back to Rome. he was sent off by a number of students/teachers, just like when he arrived, some government officials & members of the Catholic church. before getting inside, he stopped, turned, and waved for the last time to the people present at his departure. it was a sunny day, a really nice day to fly, as oppose to the past two days when he celebrated mass at Tacloban & visited Palo, and another mass at the Quirino Grandstand.

and the Filipinos are back to being Filipinos. i think. or maybe not. i hope not. or perhaps, it's more accurate to say that some are really touched by the Pope's coming that they will really try their best to follow his example. some will be back to being their usual selves, doing what they are doing before the Pope's arrival & stay, which is really sad.


thank you, Pope Francis. salamat, Santo Papa. thank you for coming to the Philippines and letting us feel that you are with us. you had travelled so far just to reach us. i hope and i pray that your message will reach the deepest, darkest hearts of all those corrupt people in our land. may they realize that they are not the only ones living in this beautiful country; that they are not the only blessed people who must enjoy everything that life has to offer; that they are not where they are if not for the those under them. i also pray that truly, all Filipinos will show care and respect towards the other; that they are not the only being in the land and therefore they should mind others.

maraming, maraming salamat, Santo Papa sa iyong pagpunta at patuloy na pag-aalala sa sambayanang Pilipino. makatitiyak kang ikaw ay lagi naming ipagdarasal.

the long wait is over. after 20 years, my country is once again blessed to be visited by the Head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis. he's the 3rd Pope to have come but the 4th time that the Philippines has been graced by the Pope. then Pope John Paul II visited the country 2x, 1st in 1981 (i was just a year old) and in 1995, i was 14 and already a junior high-school student. i didn't get to see him up-close but i did see him while riding his Pope mobile when he passed by the street where i was waiting with some of my family members. i don't remember how exactly i felt back then but surely, i know that i was truly happy that i get a glimpse of the Pope.

i pray that Pope Francis will have a safe stay while in the country. may he be able to accomplish what he came for in the first place, to be with the survivors of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), as well as the poor people, to let them know that Jesus has never forgotten them. He is always with them.

never have i thought that i would be able to live a lifetime having the head of my Catholic church die due to illness and his successor resign from his post 8 years after.

both indeed are sad events for a Catholic like me. though my church didn't lose Pope Benedict XVI over a natural cause unlike Pope John Paul II, it's still an emotional event to have witnessed him leave the seat. he may not be perfect because really, who is perfect in this world, right? but he is the Holy Pope, or was, and i don't give a s*** about what the other people say but i have regarded him with the same regard i had for the late JPII. at the end of the day, it is my faith and what i believe in matter.



to Pope Benedict XVI, i thank you for the eight years you have been our Pope. thank you for leading the Catholic church even if it was just for a short period of time. i pray that you'll continue to be blessed with good health ~ strength that will keep you going to continue on spreading God's words and Christ's love.

luckily, my mom and i opted not to continue our koreanovela marathon and instead watched the news. at 11:50pm, the 3rd smoke was already seen coming out of the chimney at the Vatican. everybody was waiting for the sound of the bell to avoid another confusion that happened during the 1st smoke. but it had been almost 5min and the smoke coming out from the chimney was still white in color. after about 10min, the sound of the bell was heard, comfirming that we already have a new Pope. i was teary eyed to know that we already have a new church leader. then my cousins came out from the room, so as my sister, followed by my brothers. we patiently waited for the appointed cardinal to announce the words 'Habemus Papam.' and after 45min, Chilean Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez announced those words and the name of the new pope, Joseph Ratzinger. he chose the name Benedict XVI as his papal name. for some reason, i am happy to know that he's our new pope. maybe because Pope John Paul II chose him to officiate his last rites. maybe because i know he's a close friend of him. maybe because he's the only cardinal whose name i can remember, aside from our own cardinals. whatever the reason is, i'm just happy that we have a new pope. even if most of his fellow Germas aren't on his side; even if his being a conservative is seen as negative. he's now the pope and i believe it's God's will. and i'm sure that Pope John Paul II is even more happier knowing that he's our new head of the church. another history! i'm so glad to have seen that white smoke.


Joseph Ratzinger : Pope Benedict XVI