Pope Francis ended his five-day visit to the Philippines, the largest Catholic country in Asia and the third largest in the world. It was around 10 am when the pope was at the Villamor Airbase where he was sent off by the country's president, church leaders and cabinet members. Hundreds of thousands have also lined up the streets to bid the beloved pontiff goodbye. As he reached the final steps of the staircase leading to the plane's entrance, he gave a final wave to the crowd, bowed his head a little, and silently boarded.
Pope Francis' visit to the Philippines was not the first time that a leader of the Catholic church had done in the past. However, his visit seemed to be one of the most successful in so far as the number of attendees is concerned. Records say that on the Sunday mass he held in the country, a massive number of 6 million Filipinos have attended.
"We have it at six million," said Francis Tolentino, chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority when he was asked for the size of the crowd.
If the record is proven to be correct, it would surpass the 5 million mass attendees record held by Pope John Paul II.
The pope has primarily dedicated his trip to the Philippines to the country's poor and victims of government injustice. He had openly expressed his sentiments against corruption which he believed was the culprit behind their poverty. His itinerary also included a visit with the street children and the eastern city of Tacloban. The pope felt the need of visiting the place where he offered prayers for the survivors of the deadly Typhoon Haiyan.
"We need to care for our young people, not allowing them to be robbed of hope and condemned to a life on the streets," said the pope.
The message of Pope Francis shows the harsh reality of the lives of the children in the present society. He wants the people to realize how the system of favoring the elite and disregarding the poor have created a triad of evil that includes manipulation, control and exploitation.
"He's my No. 1 world leader," said 63-year old Rita Fernandez who has four children. "He rides on a bus. He flew to Tacloban to visit the typhoon survivors despite the storm and he stops to talk to the poor. He's a living saint."
Watch a YouTube video of how the faithfuls filled the Luneta Park where Pope Francis celebrated a Holy Mass on Sunday:
