18 February 2015 – Il Mio Papa, the world’s first weekly magazine entirely dedicated to the coverage of the Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, features an exclusive story about the Filipino community’s reaction to Pope Francis’ visit to the Philippines in their February 04 issue.
With an estimated 180,000 Filipinos living and working in Italy, the magazine found the Filipino community in Italy very much thrilled by the Holy Father’s visit to the Philippines and still talk about it even weeks after his return to Rome.
Given the community’s sentiment and the general overwhelming response of the Filipinos to the Papal Visit, Il Mio Papa approached the Philippine Consulate General in Milan to obtain Consul General Marichu Mauro’s reaction to the Pope’s visit to the Philippines. “We are so proud that he came to the Philippines. His words, his meetings with the poor and the suffering have inspired everyone”, Consul General Mauro was quoted in the article.
When asked of her favorite moment during the visit, Consul General Mauro replied: “When he went to Tacloban to see the survivors of Typhoon Yolanda. As you know he had to cut his trip short and return to Manila due to an incoming tropical storm and you can read on the Pope’s face his extreme disappointment at the turn of events. The Filipino people were touched.”
Il Mio Papa covered the entire Papal visit in the Philippines and reported it was a huge success. An estimated seven million attended his Holy Mass on January 18 in Rizal Park.
Commenting on his visit to the Philippines upon his return to Italy, the Pope said “It was a joy for me to stay in that country, to listen to their concerns. I wanted to further encourage their efforts in contributing to the renewal of society,” the magazine reported.
The magazine also noted how Pope Francis was still talking about his visit weeks after it ended, in his weekly papal audience prompting observers to say that the Holy Father truly has a deep affection for the Philippines, its people, traditions, and faith. END