Proud to be a Catholic
May 1994. India was crowned as Miss Universe in Manila. When you thought that the Philippines had enough international exposure, you probably guessed it wrong, because seven months later, a bigger international event happened in the Philippines.
It was January 1995 when World Youth Day was held in Manila. Everything is still so vivid in my memory. I remember I was still a freshie in high school and we had no classes when the Pope arrived. Since I was still so young and San Pedro was still much considered a province, I just tuned in to the boob tube instead of going to the Grandstand.
The Alitalia airplane of the Pope landed in NAIA and knowing that the Holy See is at that airplane sent shivers to my spine. Then the door opened. He came out with his white robe. He had that glow, that spark that can light any dark side of the world. It was so emotional. And even if I was only watching him inside the box, I was deeply moved by his presence. I cried.
He rode his Pope-mobile. It was the first time that that type of car existed, especially made for the Holy Father since there were threats to his life. Yeah, even if the Philippines is a highly Catholic country, there is still risk that you can get killed because of your religion… you know what I mean. The Pope was greeted by millions of Filipinos (and foreigners maybe) waving their white hankies. The scene was great. There was no director, but everyone seemed to move in perfect direction. Everything is for the love of Karol (JPII’s real name).
It was not his first time in the country. He came in 1981 when Marcos was still in power and Martial Law was still in effect. You all know what happened in history right? Martial Law was lifted during his first visit. And even when the population of the Philippines was smaller compared to 1995, he was received by millions. Minus the bullet-proof glass of his Pope-mobile, the Pope had a better interaction with the people.
The 1995 edition of the WYD in Manila broke records in terms of the number of people who attended a papal event, or maybe any event for that matter. FIVE MILLION! Now who can top that? Seeing the aerial view of Luneta swarming with the Catholic faithful was sooo elating. No wonder John Paul II loved the Philippines so much. I envy those who were able to meet him personally. My jaw would have dropped and I will surely cry a river if I was given the chance.
Fast forward to 2008. Last week, the WYD was held here in Sydney. Unlike when it was in Manila, the Pope was no longer JPII but Benedict XVI. I know it is bad to compare them, but I must say that the successor lacks the charisma of the former. From the first time that Benedict was announced as the new Pontiff and came out of the window in Vatican to greet the people, the most glaring difference that he had with John Paul was his lack of charisma. And being the successor of one of the greatest leaders of all time, I must say that he had some very very big shoes to fill in.
I haven’t got the chance to follow him and his dogmas. All I know is that he is continuing whatever JP has started. He even started to call his predecessor John Paul the Great. I also know that he is continuing the devotion to the Virgin Mary, the celebration of the World Youth Day and the World Meeting of Families which were all initiated by his predecessor. And the most known fact about him is his very adamant view against contraception and homosexuality. It is for this reason that some gay and lesbian groups had planned to organise a protest rally when he was here. Unfortunately, the government of New South Wales had instructed the police to sack anyone who will cause undue disrespect to the pilgrims. There were no grave news about bloody rallies or whatsoever, so I think their plan never transpired.
Since I wasn’t able to personally see JPII in Manila, I was very eager to take a glimpse of Benedict here in Sydney. Last week especially, since I was so down and stressed that I thought seeing him would alleviate my pain. I asked my manager if he can spare some 30 minutes for me so I can just go to the motorcade venue. He had no hesitations. I walked as fast as I could so I will not miss it. I think it was the fastest walk I ever had. I was on the verge of crying and I was whispering to myself that he should wait for me to get to Macquarie – the closest point of the motorcade from my office.
I waited there together with some Pinoy friends. It was almost night time when his car passed us. It was too fast! He was there for a while and then in a blink of an eye, he’s gone. I was able to take a video of him courtesy of my cellphone, but it was so blurry as it was already dark. I will try to upload the video later when I have time to download it from my phone.
Even if it was a fast and short encounter, I was really happy. I may not have the same shivers-to-my-spine experience as with JPII, but his presence made me feel good. He may lack charisma, but you’ve got the man the props due him since he is really firm in guiding one of the oldest institutions through the modern world. Its difficult considering all the temptations… now magnified globally!
His face was pinkish, maybe also attributable to the cold Sydney weather and his hand seemed to be soft. He was smiling while waving to throngs of people waving back at him. He is a man of peace. For one whole week, he has made the dreary Sydney winter very festive. Yeah, I got annoyed too by kids banging their drums, singing and chanting and ruining my quiet time at the trains. But I know that they are just feel the love not only from the Holy Father but from every pilgrim, volunteer and their homestay families. I felt a renewed pride of my religion, of my belief.
I must admit that there are times when I doubt if Jesus really existed. There are instances when I tend to believe what I saw and heard – that Jesus’ story is just a retelling of ancient myth. But after seeing 400,000 people attend the mass at Randwick and millions more tuned in to their tv’s, you would ask how could such myth survive without a concrete basis. And even if science will prove that there is no historical Jesus, I am still happy that I was raised to believe Him and His teachings. For it is my belief in Him that helped me through my very difficult times… it is that belief that helped me survive my most trying days. And it is that faith that gives me enthusiasm to live each day and look forward to the future with hope and joy.
After witnessing two WYD, all I can say is… I am proud to be a Christian. I am proud to be a Catholic.
See you in Madrid, 2011!
