Pope Francis on Monday bade farewell to the Philippines after a historic five-day state and apostolic visit, which centered on calls to help the poor and drew millions of passionate Filipinos seeking his blessing.

 

Thousands lined the streets of Metro Manila on Monday morning to send off the Roman Catholic Church leader, who flew back to Rome from the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

The Pope boarded the Philippine Airlines plane that will take him straight to Rome at 9:49 a.m. The plane took off at 10:12 a.m.

The Pope was sent off by President Benigno Aquino III, Vice President Jejomar Binay and 12 Cabinet secretaries. Twelve members of the Church, some of them members of the organizing committee of the five-day papal visit, were also there to see the Pope off.

As soon as the Pope arrived at the Villamor Air Base at around past 9:30 a.m., chants of "Viva Santo Papa!" and "Pope Francis, we love you!" were heard from the crowd gathered at the military airbase.

The same chants were heard when the papal convoy passed through thousands of people who lined up along the roads from the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila to the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

While at the air base, children sang "Tell the World of His Love," the theme from the 1995 visit of now-Saint John Paul II to the Philippines. They also sang "We Are All God's Children," the theme for Pope Francis' five-day visit.

Appeals to politicians, Chruch leaders, the youth

 

Throughout the Pope's trip to Asia's bastion of Roman Catholicism, the pontiff constantly repeated his appeal to politicians, local Church leaders and the youth to help the poor and the marginalized, in a country where a fourth of the population live in poverty.

 

On Friday, Pope Francis started his Philippine visit on a bold note, when he dared politicians to "reject every form of corruption which diverts resources from the poor."

 

The Pope's statement came at a time when Philippine officials, including Vice President Jejomar Binay and three senators, are facing allegations of pocketing government funds.

 

After challenging political leaders, the Bishop of Rome also called on Filipino Roman Catholic officials "to identify with the least of our brothers and sisters."

 

The Pope, meanwhile, warned Filipino families against materialism, which he said was "destructive of family life and the most basic demands of Christian morality."

 

During the Encounter with the Youth on Sunday, Pope Francis issued the same call to young Filipinos by encouraging them to "learn how to weep" for the marginalized sectors of society.

 

Two years ago, Pope Francis called global poverty a “scandal” and a “cry.” He also urged the 1.2 billion Catholics around the world to “not have too many things and to become a little poorer.” 

 

Although poverty incidence in the Philippines was reported lower last year, almost a fourth of the over 100 million Filipinos remain poor, based on latest government data.

 

Some 11.4 million Filipino families considered themselves poor by the end of last year, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

 

Emotional visit to Leyte

 

Braving the threat of a tropical storm, Pope Francis also flew on Saturday to Leyte province, which is still recovering from destruction brought by super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in November 2013.

 

The Roman Catholic leader donned a yellow plastic raincoat and delivered a heartfelt address to thousands of tearful Yolanda survivors.

 

The Pope was at a loss words for the Yolanda victims, but he still encouraged Leyte residents to cling to their faith despite the trials they underwent. 

 

The Pope also briefly interacted with some survivors of Typhoon Yolanda and the Bohol earthquake in Palo.

 

His visit to the typhoon-area, however, had to be cut short due to inclement weather caused by Tropical Storm Amang (Mekkhala).

 

In November 2013, Yolanda cut a swath of devastation across central Philippines, leaving 6,300 people dead and displacing over 1.4 million families. 

 

Throughout the papal visit, throngs of euphoric Filipino faithful gave Pope Francis rapturous cheers, while trying to catch a glimpse and take a picture of the charismatic Roman Catholic leader.

 

From his arrival to his departure from the Philippines, the Pope was given a fiesta-like treatment, including performances of cultural dances. 

 

Pope Francis' concluding Mass in Manila attracted an estimated crowd of six million people, which surpassed the previous record for a papal gathering of five million during a Mass by John Paul II in 1995. 

Fr. Anton Pascual, a member of the papal visit organizing committee, said on Sunday that Pope Francis “will be forever etched” in the hearts and minds of Filipinos after the Roman Catholic leader’s Philippine trip. 
 

The government earlier declared a three-day holiday in the National Capital Region to enable Filipinos to attend papal events. 

 

The Philippines is the largest Roman Catholic nation in Asia and the third-largest in the world. More than 80 percent of the over 100 million Filipinos are Roman Catholics. — RSJ/KG, GMA News