‘Pope hugged my cousin for 10 minutes’
POPE Francis left the Philippines yesterday and his five-day visit left a lasting impression on those who attended his Mass at the Tacloban City airport and saw him at the Palo Metropolitan Cathedral.
Christian Gomez and his cousin Cecilia Bacha consider themselves blessed after having a chance encounter with Pope Francis.
Christian was hugged by Pope Francis while he was on his way out of the cathedral last Saturday.
“Christian (Gomez) suddenly stood up and rushed to the altar. And when Pope Francis saw him, the Holy Father hugged him for about 10 to 15 minutes,” Cecilia said.
At the time, Pope Francis had just announced that he’s cutting short his visit to Palo due to bad weather to catch the 1 p.m. flight back to Manila.
Souvenir
But Bacha said the Holy Father took some time to hug Gomez who has a mental state of a 10-year-old boy.
“It took quite a long time for the pope to hug my cousin. In fact, I managed to kiss the hand of the Holy Father while he hugged Christian. And I told Pope Francis ‘Thank You, thank You.’ And he just smiled,” Bacha said.
Asked what he felt when the pope hugged him, Gomez beamed and said “happy”.
Though no one from the family got a picture of Gomez’s encounter with Pope Francis, Bacha said they will keep that memory in their hearts forever.
They kept the T-shirt worn by Gomez as a souvenir or a relic in case Pope Francis is canonized in the future.
Grateful
“Imagine, of all the people who wanted to see the pope, we got the opportunity to come near him and touch him,” said Bacha who has taken care of Gomez for several years.
Gomez’s elder sister Diedre, who was also present at the cathedral, said they never expected to come close to the Holy Father.
“We were able to get inside the cathedral just 30 minutes before the pope arrived,” she said.
Diedre, whose husband works as a volunteer at the cathedral, said they didn’t mind seeing the pope for just a few minutes. “Seeing him is enough. And we’re just very grateful to have been given that chance,” she said.
Diedre, Gomez and Bacha live in a house located a block away from the Palo Cathedral. They, too, were survivors of supertyphoon Yolanda.
They holed up inside the roof space of their home for over an hour as the floodwaters rose. “But here we are, still alive. It’s really a blessing from God,” Diedre said.
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