The Francis effect

Today will be the turn of Tacloban to bask in the aura of the Holy Father and all indications show that the people there are all eager and anxious to see the Pope who, after all, had decided to come to the Philippines because of them. One could even say that the happiness experienced by those in Manila, who were able to have first glance at the very important visitor, only got the fall-out from his concern for Tacloban.

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And the city is leaving no stone unturned in the welcome for him, although it had been made clear from the start that his visit would not for any ceremonial dialogs with officials and VIPs, but to condole and inspire the victims of the calamity that had struck the province and city more than a year ago. That is why it is welcoming him with a white motif, which could both be a symbol of mourning, as well as of peace and acceptance.

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It is good to hear that, for once, the political rivals in the area are setting aside their differences in the efforts to make the visit of the Holy Father worthwhile for everyone, especially those who lost loved ones in the calamity called “Yolanda”, and lost their homes and properties as well. The Vatican had stressed that the Pope will only join the survivors and would rather not mingle with politicians and officials or allow them to take over his activities.

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There are some disturbing reports, however, that some ambitious politicians are bent on gate-crashing into the activities and, perhaps they should be warned that they might be embarrassed, because Church officials are the ones orchestrating the activities. If there are concessions to local officials, it is only for protocol purposes. Anyway, it will probably come out in the news if there are really attempts to gatecrash, and who are those who tried.

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One thing I have noticed about the party of the Holy Father is that there isn’t anybody warding off people who come near him, or stopping him from approaching the ailing, the elderly and the disabled. I can never forget a certain Bishop Paul Marcinkus, who was guarding the late Pontiff, and now Saint John Paul II, like a bulldog, and glaring at those who dared to come near him, as we did. But he was no match to the subtlety of then Bishop Antonio Fortich – who was responsible for the inclusion of Bacolod in the Papal itinerary – who, despite the blocking of Marcinkus, managed to steer the Holy Father towards the marker for the victims of the San Juan sinking that we had set up. And so we got our dearest wish, with the Pope praying and blessing the marker, after which Bishop Fortich sent a mischievous grin in our direction, while we got a fierce look from Marcinkus.

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It was quite heartwarming that, in his speech during the call of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, in Malacañang, President Aquino remembered to mention the role played by the late Bishop Fortich in calling attention to the conditions of the poor that had then been resented by government officials. Both St. John Paul and “Mons,” as my friend Norma Bitanga Regidor and I had nicknamed the Bishop during our schooldays at LCC, must be smiling in approval right now. By the way, Congressman Bing said he texted President Aquino congratulations for his speech, and PNoy texted him right back, “Thank you, Bing”, which sent him over the moon!

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One extraordinary thing I noticed about the reports in the media right after the arrival of the Holy Father Thursday was the absence of stories involving violence or thefts like snatching or pocket-picking, despite the heavy concentration of people in the streets his motorcade passed. Was that the effect of the personality of the Holy Father? If so, let us pray that this continues even after he has left the country.

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First there was the onerous ordinance that roused such negative reactions and court cases against the city officials. Now they have this no-parking one that, while probably adopted with good intentions, is showing a lot of “oversights”, too. There’s the PNB official who wants special privilege parking for their clients, a request that, no doubt, will be echoed by other banks, because, why should only PNB be benefited? Then, look out for similar requests from hospitals, clinics, maybe even schools and other establishments who also have good reasons for seeking exemptions.*

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