POPE FRANCIS IN PHILIPPINES 2015

Pope Francis embraces three children during his visit to the University of Santo Tomas in Manila on January 18, 2015. Pope Francis will celebrate mass with millions in the Philippine capital on January 18 in what could be the world’s biggest papal gathering, capping off a dramatic trip in the Catholic Church’s Asian heartland. (AFP)
The visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to the Philippines on January 15-19, 2015 is indeed a great blessing to a nation whose covenant with God has been tested in various ways, but which has also savored many triumphs in its four centuries of Christian faith.

Pope Francis hugs children during a meeting with the youth at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila January 18, 2015. An emotional Pope Francis, moved by the tears of an abandoned child, said on Sunday the world needed to “learn how to cry” over the plight of the millions of poor, hungry, homeless and abused children. (REUTERS)