POPE Francis made an unannounced visit to an orphanage minutes after he celebrated Mass in the Manila Cathedral Friday as government officials denied a report in a British tabloid that they were hiding away street children during the papal visit.
Fr. Matthieu Dauchez, director of the Tulay ng Kabataan Foundation, said Vatican security advised him that Pope Francis would visit with more than 270 orphans along General Luna Street five minutes before the Mass ended.
“So when he arrived, the first thing he did was really to embrace these children and when I welcomed him here, I saw on his face that he was already tired. (But) when he saw all the children inside, you know his face was full of joy because of these children and this is very meaningful because it means that not only the pope is bringing hope to the children, but he is really drawing hope from the children and this is the greatest lesson, not only to help (other) people but also to really receive lessons from the poor and it was…so wonderful,” Dauchez said.
He said Pope Francis was accompanied by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle.
Pope Francis told the children not to forget that Jesus loves them.
Immediately after the Mass, the Pope went out the back of the cathedral away from the waiting media.
Dauchez said the Pope bonded with the kids for 15-minutes but it seems like their moment with the pontiff was just a split second.
The Pope took time to kiss and hug some 40 to 50 children, who embraced him.
A 10-year-old orphan, Adrian Atis, worked up the courage to talk to the Pope, saying in Filipino “Thank you for giving hope in our lives.”
Dauchez said he and some of the children cried during their brief but meaningful encounter with the Pope.
In November 2014, when Tagle visited Rome to discuss with Vatican officials preparations for the Pope’s visit, he brought a special video and letters from the “unloved” Filipino children of the streets for the pontiff to see.
The videos and letters from the Tulay ng Kabataan Foundation or ANAK-Tnk was a request for the Pope’s “little attention,” inviting him to drop by and visit them.
Dauchez said they never expected that the Pope would visit the kids since he never heard back from the Vatican.
ANAK-Tnk has 24 centers all over Metro Manila, caring for over 1,000 street children, scavengers, and orphans. Kids range from 18 months to 22 years old.
The orphanage was founded in 1998 by a Jesuit priest, he said.
Asked about the Daily Mail report that street children were being rounded up, Dauchez said if this was true, it was contrary to the what the Pope wanted.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II, however, said the Daily Mail report was not true.
Roxas said that the national police, which he heads, is not part of the issue and said trying to verify the story was “like chasing a shadow,” implying that it had been manufactured.
Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman said street children were actually encouraged to be part of the papal festivities.
She added that 440 children, who were earlier turned over to DSWD head quarters, were part of the send-off for Pope Francis on Jan. 19.
Soliman said that the children have been rehearsing a song to present to the pontiff for several days.