VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE   
   YEAR XXII - # 011   
   DATE 17-01-2015   
      
   Summary:   
   - Francis arrives in Tacloban, fourteen months after the devastation of   
   typhoon Yolanda   
   - Other Pontifical Acts   
   - Notice   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Francis arrives in Tacloban, fourteen months after the devastation of typhoon   
   Yolanda   
    Vatican City, 17 January 2015 (VIS) - On his second day in the Philippines,   
   the Pope transferred by car from the apostolic nunciature of Manila to the   
   Villamor Air Base to depart for Tacloban on the island of Leyte. The papal   
   aircraft took off forty-five minutes before the scheduled time in order to   
   bring forward his visit in view of a tropical storm approaching the coast.   
   Fourteen months ago, on the morning of 8 November 2013, the area was   
   devastated by typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), which left more than ten thousand   
   victims in its wake and razed all buildings to the ground, including the   
   airport of the city where Francis arrived today.   
    After an informal welcome from Archbishop John F. Du of Palo and the mayors   
   of Tacloban and Palo, the Pope made the 600-metre journey by Popemobile to an   
   esplanade able to hold half a million people, where he celebrated Mass despite   
   the strong wind and rain. Francis gave the following off-the-cuff homily in   
   Spanish.   
    "In the first reading, we heard that we have a great priest capable of   
   sympathizing with our weakness, who in every respect has been tempted as we   
   are. Jesus is like us. Jesus lived as we do. He is like us in everything. In   
   everything but sin, for he was not a sinner. But to be even more like us, he   
   took upon himself our sins. He became sin! This is what Paul tells us, and it   
   was something that he knew well. Jesus goes before us always; when we   
   experience any kind of cross, he was already there before us.   
    "If today all of us are gathered here, fourteen months after the passage of   
   Typhoon Yolanda, it is because we are certain that we will not be disappointed   
   in our faith, for Jesus has gone before us. In his passion He took upon   
   himself all of our sorrows, and - let me tell you something personal - when I   
   witnessed his disaster from Rome, I felt that I had to be here. That is when I   
   decided to come here. I wanted to come to be with you. Maybe you will tell me   
   that I came a little late; that is true, but here I am.   
    "I am here to tell you that Jesus is Lord; that Jesus does not disappoint.   
   'Father', one of you may tell me, 'He disappointed me because I lost my house,   
   I lost everything I had, I am sick'. What you say is true and I respect your   
   feelings, but I see Him there, nailed to the cross, and from there He does not   
   disappoint us. He was consecrated Lord on that throne, and there He   
   experienced all the disasters we experience. Jesus is Lord! And He is Lord   
   from the cross, from there He reigned. That is why, as we heard in the first   
   reading, He can understand us: He became like us in every way. So we have a   
   Lord Who is able to weep with us, Who can be at our side through life's most   
   difficult moments.   
    "So many of you have lost everything. I do not know what to tell you. But   
   surely He knows what to tell you! So many of you have lost members of your   
   family. I can only be silent; I accompany you silently, with my heart.   
    "Many of you looked to Christ and asked: Why, Lord? To each of you the Lord   
   responds from His heart. I have no other words to say to you. Let us look to   
   Christ: He is the Lord, and He understands us, for He experienced all the   
   troubles we experience.   
    "With him, beneath the cross, is His Mother. We are like that child who   
   stands down there, who, in times of sorrow and pain, times when we understand   
   nothing, times when we want to rebel, can only reach out and cling to her   
   skirts and say to her: 'Mother!'. Like a little child who is frightened and   
   says: 'Mother'. Perhaps that is the only word which can express all the   
   feelings we have in those dark moments: Mother!   
    "Let us be still for a moment and look to the Lord. He can understand us, for   
   He experienced all these things. And let us look to our Mother, and like that   
   little child, let us reach out, cling to her skirts and say to her in our   
   hearts: 'Mother'. Let us make this prayer in silence; let everyone say it   
   whatever way he or she feels.   
    "We are not alone; we have a Mother; we have Jesus, our older brother. We are   
   not alone. And we also have many brothers and sisters who, when the disaster   
   struck, came to our assistance. We too feel more like brothers and sisters   
   whenever we help one another, whenever we help each other.   
    "This is all that I feel I have to say to you. Forgive me if I have no other   
   words. But be sure that Jesus does not disappoint us; be sure that the love   
   and tenderness of our Mother does not disappoint us. Clinging to her as sons   
   and daughters with the strength which Jesus our brother gives us, let us now   
   move forward. As brothers and sisters, let us take up our journey. Thank you!"   
    Following the Eucharistic celebration the Pope left the island four hours   
   before the scheduled time due to the inclement weather conditions and the   
   approaching category two typhoon. He visited a house belonging to fishermen,   
   devastated by the 2013 typhoon, and transferred rapidly to the archiepiscopal   
   residence, situated on a hill at the foot of which there is a home for the   
   elderly and orphans financed by the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum" and blessed   
   by the Pope today. He lunched briefly with thirty relatives of victims of   
   Yolanda and a number of seminarians, and transferred to the "Pope Francis   
   Centre for the Poor", which he blessed from the Popemobile. He proceeded   
   directly to the Cathedral of Palo where a meeting was scheduled with bishops,   
   priests, religious, seminarians and survivors of the typhoon, and explained to   
   them that the adverse weather conditions would not permit the meeting to go   
   ahead.   
    "We have just enough time to get to the aeroplane, since the forecasts tell   
   us that the weather will worsen", he said. "I apologise to all of you. I am so   
   sorry about this, as I had something especially prepared for you. Let us leave   
   everything in the hands of our Lady, as I have to leave now".   
    He then transferred to the airport, again by Popemobile to enable him to   
   greet as many people as possible. Finally, the papal aircraft departed for   
   Manila and landed at the Villamor Air Base at 3 p.m. local time. From there,   
   the Pope proceeded to the apostolic nunciature, greeting the faithful along   
   the way.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Other Pontifical Acts   
    Vatican City, 17 January 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed:   
    - Cardinal Orlando B. Quevedo, O.M.I., archbishop of Cotabato, Philippines,   
   as his special envoy to the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the   
   discovery of the "hidden Christians of Japan", to be held in Nagasaki from 14   
   to 17 March 2015.   
    - Msgr. Piotr Turzynski as auxiliary of the diocese of Radom (area 8,000,   
   population 920,000, Catholics 913,100, priests 773, religious 614), Poland.   
   The bishop-elect was born in Radom, Poland in 1964 and ordained a priest in   
   1988. He holds a licentiate in theology and patristic sciences from the   
   Augustinianum Patristic Institute in Rome, and a doctorate in theology from   
   the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome. He has served as parish vicar in   
   Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, Poland and spiritual director of the major seminary   
   of Radom, and is currently vice-rector of the major seminary of Radom, adjunct   
   professor at the Institute of Church History and Patrology of the Catholic   
   University of Lublin, director of the diocesan Council for the permanent   
   formation of the clergy and the Council for consecrated life, and canon of the   
   Chapter of Skarzysko Kamienna.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Notice   
    Vatican City, 17 January 2015 (VIS) - Due to the Pope's apostolic trip, the   
   Vatican Information Service bulletin will be transmitted not only today,   
   Saturday, but also tomorrow, Sunday 18 January.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
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