My 5 seconds with Pope Francis in Manila

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

I missed the Pope when I visited the Vatican. I went on a weekday and he wasn’t there. I had every intention of attending his mass but got lost with a couple of friends and didn’t make it in time. When I found out he was visiting Manila, I was ecstatic. Yes, I am one of the millions who like his style and charmed by him. I knew I needed to seem during his visit. 

The thing about working for a media company, it is common for you to have work during holidays and special occasions. This was not an exception. I was part of the lean Yahoo Philippines Team covering his visit. Our team wrote original stories, curated photos and videos for people to consume and did so much more. I was updated with his every move, touched by a lot of his speeches and encounters but I didn’t see him in person.

Throughout his visit, my only free day was January 19 – they day when he was to depart. I asked myself, how badly do I want to see him? A lot. If that’s the case, I should do everything in my power to make it happen. I was willing to go alone if that was the only way to see him. After a whirlwind of planning, my Mom and Tita Gina ended up going with me. We woke up mighty early to wait. We headed to Quirino Avenue near the Nunciature at 6 AM hoping to catch a glimpse of him. 

  
After patiently waiting for hours we saw him and his smile for 5 seconds. It was surreal. I expected the screams to be louder and the aura to magically change once he appeared but it wasn’t the case. There was a serene sense of excitement and happiness when he passed.

Thank you for my 5 seconds God. A lot of things could have gone wrong but they didn’t. Everything fell into place. We didn’t even have a hard time going home. Thank you for the beautiful morning God and a short but sweet moment with Pope Francis. 

* Additional photos from Yahoo Philippines.



***********************************************************************
Hola! Thank you for passing by and checking up on me. Get my blog posts straight to your email by subscribing to the newsletter here. Never miss an article again, booyah! Gracias!

Share This Story

Tags:
Rica of Ang Kaladkarin

You Might Also Like

0 comments

Add me on Facebook