Four days we will long remember, that will live on in Philippine Church lore. Pope Francis took the Philippines by storm. And now he takes his leave. It is too good, too holy, too sublime a thing to have been just a spiritual all-time high of some days to leave us only spent and tired, with nothing more than blurred cellphone pictures and happy memories.
At the Manila Cathedral, it was a very down to earth Pope we concelebrated with. “Do you love me?” Of course we all knew he was quoting from the Johannine Gospel. But somehow it seemed just the thing to do to blurt “Yes!”—and we did so rapturously. “Thank you,” he chuckled, “but I was reading the words of the Lord!”
At least he knows that his priests love him. He must have been a bit flustered, though, that as he processed towards the altar, the priests who packed the Cathedral fished for their cellphones to capture the moment of physical proximity to the pope.
Suaviter et firmiter…gentle and firm, an old saying so rarely exemplified, and we just saw that in Francis. That might just be the lesson vengeful leaders—whose pathetic concept of leadership is exulting themselves by slurring their predecessors—need.
Pope Francis, for his part, remained truly Supreme Bridgebuilder. He understood PNoy’s every word, for sure. He had on a headphone for the translation service. He could have lashed back—and as Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he was not one to mince words when the government unsheathed its sword against church teaching. He talked about rejecting corruption, and certainly did not have in mind those whom the administration jailed.
His statements at MOA were highly nuanced, and we were all reminded if how to handle these sensitive issues. The church will continue resisting that selfishness that systematically includes new life but its pastors must be as appreciative of “the many shades of grey”.
And when he was in Tacloban, clad in a P20 disposable raincoat like all others were, he was visibly moved and many times just held the victims’ hands in silent empathy, and in those few poignant moments we were taught just what empathy is and how condemnable “epal’ is!
These are lessons that should last us a lifetime and that should serve us in good stead in this time of self-seeking opportunism and pettiness at the highest levels.
rannie_aquino@yahoo.com