Pope Francis cut short his visit to a typhoon-hit region of the Philippines on Saturday because of an approaching storm.
In brief, unscripted comments, Francis took the microphone soon after arriving at the main cathedral in Leyte province and told a surprised crowd that he would have to leave at 1 pm (local time), four hours ahead of schedule.
“I apologise to all of you,” he said, speaking in Italian through a translator. “I am sad about this, truly saddened.”
Tropical Storm Mekkhala is barrelling toward the area, already dumping rain on a papal Mass in the morning, and is expected to make landfall on nearby Samar Island late afternoon or early evening, the weather bureau said.
The Pope said the pilots of the Philippine Airlines jet told him the weather would worsen after 1 pm “We barely have time to get to the airplane,” he said.
After a quick exchange of gifts, in which Francis received a wood image of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception made from the debris from the typhoon-damaged church, his motorcade sped to the airport in Tacloban.
Francis travelled to the far eastern Philippines to comfort survivors of devastating Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, himself braving rains and heavy winds from the approaching storm and conceding that it was hard to find the right words when surrounded by so much pain.
“So many of you have lost everything,” Francis told 150,000 Catholic faithful gathered before Mass under a steady rain in an open field near the airport in Tacloban. “I don’t know what to say to you, but the Lord does know what to say to you. Some of you lost part of your families. All I can do is keep silent. And I walk with you all with my silent heart.”
“I wanted to come to be with you. It’s a bit late, I have to say, but I am here.”
Francis spoke in his native Spanish, which he reverts to when he wants to speak from the heart. He ditched his prepared homily and instead composed a brief prayer off the cuff that began - “Thank you, Lord, for sharing our pain. Thank you, Lord, for giving us hope...”
Wearing plastic raincoats, the festive crowd in the city clapped in unison to blaring music welcoming the Pope, cheering when his plane landed after the hour-long flight from Manila.
The Pope blew kisses, waved and flashed the thumbs up sign to the crowd while riding on a covered popemobile from the airport terminal to the nearby altar.
