“PG-News”

Pope Francis’ youth encounter at UST

Jan Martin M. Justo

Thousands of student volunteers, religious people, and devout Catholics had

gathered to witness the arrival of His Holiness, Pope Francis at UST last January 18,
2015. It is the fourth time that the highest leader of the Roman Catholic Church visited
the university and was done once by Pope Paul VI and twice by Pope John Paul II. The
apostolic visit aims to uphold global youth involvement in spreading God’s teachings
and also to meet with different religious leaders. As part of the official theme “Mercy and
Compassion” for the traditional papal visit, the Pope also visited those who suffered
under the hands of Typhoon Yolanda which struck mostly the Visayas region over a
year ago. Pope Francis escorted by Cardinal Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle, UST
rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy and UST Prior Provincial of the Dominican Province of the
Philippines Fr. Gerard Francisco Timoner entered the university’s premises at the Arch
of the Centuries. Following that, he proceeded to tour around the campus in his Pope
mobile together with Cardinal Tagle and his bodyguards. Pope Francis met with Jun
Chura and Glyzelle Palumar who both were former street children but were now under
the care of the Tulay ng Kabataan foundation. Glyzelle was left in tears and with an
outburst of emotions as she spoke to the pope about her life and suffering in the streets.
She asked the pope. “Why do children suffer so much?” Rikki Macolor, an alumnus from
Faculty of Engineering told the pope, “What more can the youth do to be agents of
mercy and compassion?” Leandro Santos, a civil law student also asked the abundance
of the world of information and the usage of technology. These questions stirred the
pope as he listened to them. Performers such as Darren Espanto, Jed Madela, and
Angeline Quinto were present who sang the songs “Tell the World of his Love”, “Light of
a Million Mornings”, and “You Raise Me Up”. Jamie Rivera was also present as she
sang “We are all God’s Children”, the official theme song for the papal visit.
The pope received gifts like wristband, a bottle bearing the messages of student
volunteers and representatives and his very own UST lanyard and ID. Everyone who
came there was blessed and felt extremely fulfilled as they witnessed the event that
changed their lives spiritually and helped them became closer to God and to the Pope
as well.

Pope’s Message to the youth

Pope Francis didn’t deliver his prepared speech but gave an impromptu one
instead in Spanish which was further translated into English. In his message to the
youth, he emphasized the importance of offering oneself passionately and honestly in
renewing the society and building a better world. Originally in his prepared speech, he
stressed the concern for the environment, the challenge of integrity and care for the
poor. His words after hearing Glyzelle, the Holy Father spoke about how women are
capable of seeing things in different angles. She asked a question that no one can
answer and she wasn’t able to express it in words but rather in tears. “When the heart is
able to ask itself and cry then we can understand something. Today’s world lacks the
capacity of how to cry. The weak and marginalized are crying.” The pope wants us to be
courageous, to learn how to cry and never be afraid of crying as Glyzelle had shown us.
Under the reference from the gospel, to be agents of mercy and compassion, we have
to learn how to beg. Become a beggar. This is what helps you mature in your
commitment to give to others. Learn how to open your hand from your very own
poverty. In response to Leandro, he said that there is danger in accumulating
information. We have so much but we don’t know what to do with it. But through that
love let that information bear fruit. The gospel offers three languages. The language of
the mind, the heart and the hands. Use all these in harmony. Think, feel, and do.
Challenge of love as the most important subject to learn in life. Learn how to love is a
challenge that life offers. Loving and letting yourself to be loved. Love is a surprise and
God is full of it. God reveals himself in surprises so we should never be frightened of it.
The reality that you have is superior to the paper I have in front of me.