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

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 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.

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 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.

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 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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