VIGILANCE AT WORK Thanks to the vigilance of the people, who worked round-the-clock on the just concluded visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines. They did what could be regarded as politically correct, as they kept him away from toxic and exploitative characters, who were out to take advantage of the papal visit. These people kept him far from what could be derisively called epal politicians, or those political people, who wanted to take the center stage to gain public attention. Aside from keeping him unreachable from those unpalatable characters, the same people had to make sure that the Pope would reach to the poor and downtrodden, or the people who are down in the social totem pole. The Pope went on a pastoral visit to our country specifically to reach out to these people and not to the high and mighty, or those who are pretending to be powerful and politically well-connected. In Tacloban City, for instance, former first lady Imelda Marcos waited for hours at the Tacloban Cathedral, as her entourage were said to have occupied its front pews in anticipation of the Pope celebrating a Holy Mass there. She could have been salivating for an excellent photo opportunity, where the people would see the queen of dramatics kissing the papal ring and doing her usual antics for publicity. But it did not happen. The Pope, in a sudden change of mind, opted to hold Mass right on the airport, where tens of thousands of Yolanda victims stayed and waited for his arrival, hoping to catch a glimpse of the charismatic Pope in flesh and blood. Imelda, who was hardly around in the immediate aftermath of Yolandas fury, had to motor to the airport to join the people there. She was just one of the congregants there. Even in Manila, epal politicians were reduced to mere spectators. They could hardly get near to the Pope. Only the ever sanctimonious Kit Tatad shook hands with the people, as he found his way near the Pope to hand him a copy of his book of rants at the Mall of Asia meeting with the families. It was more of a chance meeting with the reputed Opus Dei operative perceived as one who is always on the wrong side of history. Who were responsible for the Popes vigilant avoidance of these shady characters? The Vatican intelligence people, who worked closely with their local counterparts who belonged to the Organizing Committee led by Manila Prelate Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle. Because of their adherence to their self-imposed guidelines, where the Pope stressed meeting with the poor and oppressed, particularly the Yolanda victims, street children, and other victims of abuses and oppression, the papal visit was an outstanding success, as it achieved the goal of reaffirming and renewing the Filipinos Christian faith. Except for the Popes meeting with the countrys political leaders, which was dictated by the protocol befitting a visiting Head of State (the Pope is regarded as head of Vatican, the worlds smallest state), Pope Francis did not have the chance to be exploited by the throngs of opportunistic politicians. It was vigilance at work.
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 19:50:50 +0000
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