ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Pope's letter to the Archbishop of Palo: "I will never forget Tacloban"

Tuesday, 3 February 2015

Palo (Agenzia Fides) - " I thank you too, wholeheartedly, for the witness of faith and endurance which your people showed me in the midst of their trials. I will never forget this and I will keep them in my prayers" says the Holy Father in a letter to the Archbishop of Palo, His Exc. Mgr. John Du. The letter, released by Archbishop Du, recalls the Mass celebrated by the Holy Father at the airport in Tacloban, despite heavy rains and strong winds caused by Typhoon "Papete" on January 17.
Pope Francis also expressed sadness that the strong winds and rain forced him to compress his trip and reiterates that "the most moving moment of the trip was the Mass in Tacloban", which was attended by thousands of people, that prayed with him after the catastrophe. The Pope writes that the experience was so powerful for him that he felt as “though [he] was annihilated (‘wiped out’)”, almost to the point of being rendered "speechless". The Holy Father made an apostolic visit to the country from Jan. 15 to 19, 2015. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 03/02/2015)


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