Exposed to Pope John Paul II

I am privileged to have seen Pope John Paul II the first time in a face-to-face encounter and later as an ordinary pilgrimage with the 400-million Catholic faithful at the Luneta in Manila.

The first time was in 1981, during the first visit of the Supreme Pontiff, his first visit to the Philippines.

I was then head of the Islamic desk of the Bureau of National and Foreign Information of the Press Office. As chief of the desk, I was supposed to study possible commonality of beliefs between the Islamic and the Catholic religious faith and try to bridge the gap between the two religions hoping.

I was the first and only Christian head of the desk. Normally, this was reserved for the scholars of the Islamic Faith. But I got myself appointed to it because of the endorsement of several Muslim leaders of Mindanao.

Anyway, that was the not the story. One morning, I was suddenly awakened by a military colonel that President Marcos had wanted me to attend an urgent meeting in the Palace.

Of course, I rushed there. And found to my consternation that it was to put up a cadre of closed-in security of the Pope.

And the purpose of the “secret meeting” was the select those who will make up the so-called top security unit for the Pope. He had just been almost killed by an assassin who had shot John Paul II in the St. Peter's Square. We could not afford any incident could mar his visit to the Philippines.

When I first saw Archbishop Marcinkus there, I was somewhat impressed. He was a hulking figure. Tall and gigantic.

Later, he introduced us to the Pope and one by one the Pope greeted us by shaking our hands. It can be an electrifying experience. I immediately felt a sign go through my body when the Pope touched by hand. The only other experience of a similar matter was with the late Bishop Fulton Sheen whose gaze seemed to bore right it one's heart and soul.

It was with Pope John Paul II. It was an experience I never had with another human being. I still remember it with a beatific pleasure. As it were a living experience.

Later, when I flew down to Negros ahead of the Pope, it was at the Bacolod Cathedral where the Pope touched me again with his hand. Then the same electrifying experience.

I walked around somewhat dazed by that experience. If there was any attempt then, I could have never leave thwarted it. Most likely, I could just simply watched it with awe.

As I had said, there was the first experience I had with Pope John Paul. The second time was in 1988 when he returned for his second visit to the Philippines. But that's another story. By that time, I had already joined the Neo Catechumenal communities and therefore was one of the four million pilgrims who went to Manila to join the welcoming Filipino faithful of the Supreme pontiff.

But that is another story.*

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