Thousands flock to Manila Cathedral to pay tribute to Pope Francis

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Asia's Catholics are marking the death of Pope Francis, with Timor-Leste announcing seven days of mourning.  In the Philippines, the faithful have been flocking to cathedrals.

Transcript

00:01Throughout the evening here at Manila Cathedral,

00:05people have been filing in, lighting a candle,

00:08and saying a prayer for Pope Francis.

00:16Let us honor his memory by learning from his teachings

00:22and following his example of Christian life.

00:28Earlier in the day, the pews were full.

00:30There was a large congregation as people celebrated Mass

00:33and celebrated the life of Pope Francis.

00:36This was a similar scene in churches across the country.

00:39Now, in a nation of 85 million Catholics,

00:43most popes are fairly popular,

00:46but it's clear, talking to worshippers here,

00:49that this pontiff, Pope Francis,

00:52really resonated with the people here.

00:54As someone who's religious,

00:56I definitely feel I grieve and I'm mourning him.

01:01I feel that it's like we've lost an important person

01:05at the same time, a person that a lot of people looked up to,

01:09and he was a person that gave a lot of people hope.

01:12Pope Francis, also known here as Lolo Kiko,

01:15really showed us that there is always a place for mercy

01:19and compassion throughout the Catholic Church.

01:22That the Catholic Church is a face of mercy.

01:25It's a face of mercy of Jesus and the compassion of the God.

01:29It's not as though in recent years,

01:31the church here in the Philippines has been immune to scandal.

01:34Like in other countries,

01:36there has been clergy child sex abuse scandals.

01:39There have been times here when the church is at odds with political leaders

01:43about certain programs and policies,

01:46things like the war on drugs.

01:48But nobody is really talking about any of that.

01:51Upon Pope Francis's death,

01:53people basically have the same message that in the Philippines

01:57he was seen as a unifier.

01:59And particularly because of his constant focus on the poor and the vulnerable,

02:05that really struck a chord in this country.

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