MANILA, Philippines—“The Holy Spirit will have to work to touch all the hearts of these people that we see.”
A “very impressed” Pope Francis uttered these words to Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle on board the popemobile as tens of thousands of ecstatic Filipinos took to the streets to catch a glimpse of him Thursday night.
Tens of thousands of people on Thursday afternoon trooped to the streets of Manila to give a warm welcome to Pope Francis who has arrived in the Philippines for a five-day visit.
The crowd lined up the streets of Pasay City and Manila for the motorcade of the Pope, who rode the popemobile. The vehicle used by the Pope was a white Isuzu D-Max pickup converted to allow the pope to stand and wave to the crowd. Unlike previous popemobiles, the sides of the car are open, following the policy of Pope Francis, who likens riding armored vehicles to being in a sardine can.
Filipino and foreign faithful and even mere onlookers erupted into wild cheers as the Pope passed by Roxas Boulevard going to the Papal Nunciature in Taft Avenue, his official residence while in the country.
At nightfall, as Francis’ white, open-topped popemobile zipped along the 11-kilometer route from Villamor Air Base to the Apostolic Nunciature, crowds called his name and snapped pictures. Francis waved at them.
The motorcade moved at a relatively fast clip, reaching the Nunciature, where the Pope would stay, in about 40 minutes.
Veteran Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi SJ could barely contain his astonishment.
“Already this first encounter of the Pope with the Filipino people is very impressive, important, very touching,” Lombardi said at a press briefing held about 30 minutes after the papal motorcade had reached the Apostolic Nunciature on Taft Avenue in Manila. –
–With reports from Dona Z. Pazzibugan, Jerome Aning, Julie M. Aurelio, Maricar Bruzuela and Nestor Corrales, Jason K. Ang, Inquirer.net
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