Despite a raging typhoon, Pope Francis visited Tacloban City to meet with disaster victims in January 2015. Photo by Benhur Arcayan / Malacanang Photo Bureau. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain.
Filipinos are mourning the death of Pope Francis, who died on April 21, at the age of 88, in the Vatican. Pope Francis was from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and was renowned for bringing progressive change to the Catholic church, advocating for peace and environmental protections, promoting interfaith dialogue, speaking out against capitalism and war, and for being a champion for the poor.
He was also the first pontiff from outside Europe in centuries and often used his platform to embrace and advocate for Catholics from the Global South.
Almost 80 percent of the Philippines’ 108 million population is Catholic.
During Pope Francis’ pastoral trip to the Philippines in 2015, he met not just church and government leaders but also street children, students, and urban poor dwellers. He even visited Tacloban City, which was heavily battered by a super typhoon, to express solidarity with disaster victims.
The Philippine government declared a period of mourning until the burial of the pope on April 26. Catholic bishops, Christian formations, and even the Bangsamoro autonomous region in the Muslim-dominated region in the southern part of the country paid tribute to the legacy of the pope.
Cardinal Orlando Quevedo from the Archdiocese of Cotabato recalled that Pope Francis was consistent in his advocacy to bring the church closer to the poor even before he became the pope in 2013.
His interventions at our Council discussions were usually about bringing the Gospel to the people in the peripheries, the poor and the needy. Go to the periphery was his clarion call to the Church and her pastors. He himself was from the peripheries, not from Rome but from far away Argentina.
Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David, the head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), wrote that the pope once paid homage to migrant Filipinos.
…with his characteristic wit and warmth, he once called our Overseas Filipino migrant workers ‘contrabandistas de la fe’ — smugglers of the faith —reminding us that the witness of simple, faithful lives can cross borders and touch hearts where formal missionaries cannot go.
Cardinal Jose Cardinal Advincula, the archbishop of Manila, praised the pope who braved a raging storm to meet with the Catholic faithful in 2015.
We will always remember his visit to our country in 2015 — a moment of grace forever etched in our national memory. Under the rain in Tacloban, standing with the survivors of Typhoon Yolanda, Pope Francis showed us what it means to suffer with others and find hope in the midst of pain.
‘LOLO KIKO IN THE HEARTS OF FILIPINOS’ 🤍🇵🇭
Back in 2015, Pope Francis stood with unwavering faith and hope as he journeyed from Manila to Tacloban. His progressive stance and compassionate service have left a lasting mark on the hearts of Filipinos.
Now, with his passing, we… pic.twitter.com/sQggVkupIW
— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) April 21, 2025
The post above mentions “Lolo Kiko,” which means “Grandfather Francis” in the Filipino language.
A Catholic university in Manila installed an exhibition that featured memorabilia from the pope’s visit in 2015.
LOOK: UST pays tribute to Pope Francis with an exhibit featuring memorabilia from his visit to the University in January 2015.
Among the items on display at the Main Building are the Papal Chair, signed UST guestbook, and the ID worn by the late pontiff.
(Photos by Djenhard… pic.twitter.com/l1MSTDbfmA
— The Varsitarian (@varsitarianust) April 22, 2025
Aside from church leaders, various sectors also recognized the legacy of Pope Francis. Rise Up for Life and for Rights, whose members are relatives of anti-drug war victims, acknowledged the solidarity of the Catholic clergy.
When our loved ones were killed under the drug war policy, some Church leaders stood with us, when almost everyone else scattered… We know that Pope Francis encouraged and nurtured this solidarity with us, even though it resulted in bishops and other Church people being berated and threatened.
Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment explained the historic importance of the pope’s decision to visit the “ground zero” of the super typhoon that hit the Philippines in 2015.
For the Filipino people, Pope Francis’s solidarity was not just in words but in militant action. His 2015 visit to the Philippines, especially to the storm-ravaged communities of Tacloban and Eastern Visayas after Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), was a direct rebuke to those who abandoned the survivors and profited from disaster. In the midst of another storm, Pope Francis stood with the people in the rain, declaring, ‘I will walk with you all with my heart’ He condemned the ‘scandalous social inequalities’ and the corruption that intensified the suffering of the poor. His presence was a rallying cry for justice, accountability, and resistance against those who treat our lives and our land as expendable.
Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, the highest-ranking Filipino in the Vatican Curia, is reportedly among the names being considered as the next pope, but the CBCP discouraged the public from speculating about this matter.
The Apostolic Nunciature in Manila has announced that books of condolence will be opened on April 29 to allow the public to express condolences and share their memories about the late pontiff.
