Outpouring for Francis in Poignant Manila Visit - NYTimes.comOutpouring for Francis in Poignant Manila Visit - NYTimes.comMain MenuMain MenuType Size:AAANight Mode:DisableEnableAccount:SubscribeLog inThe New York TimesInternational New York TimesSearchGoShareTweetMoreSubscribeSubscribeMy accountLog inWorldOutpouring for Francis in Poignant Manila VisitSlide Show | Pope Celebrates Mass in Manila Pope Francis ended his trip to Southeast Asia by celebrating Mass at a park in the Filipino capital.Alessandra Tarantino / Associated PressShareBy FLOYD WHALEY and AUSTIN RAMZYJanuary 18, 2015MANILA —  As he celebrated Sunday Mass before a crowd of millions here in a cornerstone of Catholicism in Asia, Pope Francis stressed the need to care for the world’s poor, a theme he has repeated throughout his five-day visit to the Philippines.He also touched on the subject of the environment, a topic he is expected to address in depth in an encyclical later this year.God “created the world as a beautiful garden and asked us to care for it,” Francis said. “Through sin, man has disfigured that natural beauty. Through sin, man has also destroyed the unity and beauty of our human family, creating social structures that perpetuate poverty, ignorance and corruption.”Six million people gathered here in Rizal Park and surrounding streets, according to Col. Restituto Padilla Jr., a military spokesman. The crowd waited for hours in a light rain for the afternoon Mass.Pope Francis, greeting a Filipino girl, drew a crowd of about six million people for Mass.Dennis M. Sabangan / European Pressphoto AgencyWith vehicle traffic blocked off for security, crowds arrived on foot, walking slowly through muddy, flooded streets. Alyssa Sarmiento, a 25-year-old computer programmer, stood drenched in the rain near the park with a wide smile on her face. Ms. Sarmiento, a Manila resident, came at 5 a.m. and was able to see the pope, who arrived hours later riding in a white popemobile built like a jeepney, a truck with a covered bed commonly used for mass transit in the Philippines.“It feels good when you see his face,” she said. “I just wanted to feel what other people felt when they saw him. It feels good.”As the Mass was broadcast on loudspeakers, the crowd stood quietly, some raising their hands in quiet reverence, others huddling together to avoid the rain.Ruby Estrella, a 45-year-old resident of the province of Rizal, just east of Manila, cuddled with her young son under a tarp. From their shelter, they were unable to see the Mass or the large television screens set up around the park. “We can hear him,” she said. “That’s good enough.”Earlier on Sunday, in remarks at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Francis spoke about the need to deepen one’s sense of compassion, to go beyond simply giving to the poor by understanding their plight.Glyzelle Palomar, 12, who said she had witnessed drugs and prostitution while living on the street before she was given shelter by an aid group, openly wept as she asked the pope why children were allowed to suffer. The crowd applauded when the pope embraced the girl and a 14-year-old boy, who had also once been homeless.“The nucleus of your question almost doesn’t have a reply,” he said. “Only when we, too, can cry about the things that you said are we able to reply to that question. Why do children suffer so much? Why do children suffer? When the heart is able to ask itself something and cry, then we are able to understand something.”Rizal Park, which can hold about 700,000, was divided into large quadrants that allowed Francis to move between groups. As many as five million people turned out when John Paul II celebrated a Mass in the same park in 1995. On Sunday, a crowd again filled the park and nearby side streets, and about 20,000 police officers were on duty for crowd control, in addition to medical personnel and volunteers.Francis has discussed humans’ effect on the environment and climate change at points on this trip, which has special resonance in a country frequently battered by powerful typhoons. About one-quarter of the Philippines’ 100 million citizens live in poverty, and those in substandard housing in coastal areas are particularly vulnerable to storms.“He’s determined not to forget the poor,” said Neil Ormerod, a professor of theology at Australian Catholic University. “That’s been a constant theme in everything he’s said and done, and that’s really why the climate change issue is dear to his heart — seeing those impacted in some of the poorest countries on earth, who are doing the least to cause the problems.”Floyd Whaley reported from Manila, and Austin Ramzy from Hong Kong.
 Related CoverageStorm Ends Part of Pope’s Philippine Trip Jan 17, 2015As Pope Francis Visits Philippines, Tensions Between Church and Government Surface Jan 16, 2015Filipinos, Their Faith Strong but Shifting, Hail Pope  Jan 15, 2015Response to Typhoon in Philippines Shows Lessons Learned From a Year Ago  Dec 7, 2014ShareSaveShow Full Article                            xSharexEmailTwitterRedditGooglePermalinkhttp://nyti.ms/1sOOuJqToolsSaveMore In WorldArgentine President Now Says Prosecutor’s Death Was Not a SuicidePresident Cristina Fernández de Kirchner said she believed that the lead investigator of the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center did not commit suicide.U.S. and Cuba Set to Discuss Diplomatic TiesThe nations on Wednesday discussed migration, and a meeting on Thursday will cover matters like reopening embassies.Citing Falling Oil Prices, Iraq Seeks Arms on Credit to Fight ISIS4:36 PM ETPrime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the precipitous drop in prices posed a fresh challenge to his military’s efforts to push back Islamic State militants.Back to topMain MenuHomeHomeWorldU.S.U.S. NewsPoliticsU.S. PoliticsThe UpshotNew YorkBusinessBusinessBusiness DayTechnologySportsSportsOpinionOpinionScienceHealthArtsArtsStyleStylePhotosVideoMost EmailedTimes PremierMore SectionsAutomobilesBlogsBooksFoodFoodFoodEducationHome & GardenMagazineMoviesMusicMedia & AdvertisingObituariesPublic EditorGreat Homes and DestinationsReal EstateSunday ReviewT MagazineTelevisionTheaterTimes WireTravelWeddingsCorrectionsRecommendationsSavedSettingsEdition:Type Size:AAANight Mode:DisableEnableAccount:SubscribeLog inDownload Our AppsNYTimesNYT NowDownload the NYTimes appHelpSubscribeFeedbackTerms of ServicePrivacy© 2015 The New York Times Company