Pope Francis Center ready for visit

The new facility named after Pope Francis in Palo town, Leyte province was ordered built by the Vatican right after typhoon Yolanda struck and prepared ahead of  his visit on Saturday, January 17.

“It’s finally finished and ready.  This place shall be a haven where orphans, the sick and the elderly are welcomed and cared for,” said Fr. Chris Arthur Militante, information officer of the Archdiocese of Palo last Monday.

The pontiff  will bless  the Pope Francis Center for the Poor which has  five structures—an administrative building, clinic, dining hall and separate sleeping quarters for orphans and elderly people.  It has  a combined floor area of 1,414.60 square meters in the Archbishop’s Residence compound  in a  hilly portion of Palo.

The two quarters can accommodate 40 orphans and 40 elderly people.

Work  began in July 2014 and was completed after its furniture was recently delivered.

The   P60-million  cost was shouldered by  the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, the charity arm of the Vatican.

“Right after Yolanda, the Holy Father sent (Robert) Cardinal Sara, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, to deliver the Church’s assistance to Leyte. One  of them is the construction of this center,” Militante said.

Cardinal Sara led the groundbreaking ceremony during his visit to Palo on Jan. 28 last year.

It was Sara who first announced the Holy Father’s desire to visit typhoon survivors in Palo and Tacloban City, one of the areas  hardest hit by Yolanda. Over  6,000 people died and 1,785 persons were recorded missing due to supertyphoon Yolanda.

Pope Francis village (CDN PHOTO/ LITO TECSON)

Seat of Catholicism
“Pope Francis wants the center to be used by  victims of the supertyphoon especially that several people lost their loved ones during Yolanda, and that there are a number of elderly and sick people around,” Militante said.

The center will be run by a Korean missionary group based in Kkottongnae, South Korea.  In mid-August last year, Pope Francis visited a rehabilitation center called “House of Hope” in Kkottongnae run by charismatic Korean priest Fr. John Oh Eumseong.

It has served 5,000 elderly and disabled persons since 1976.

Palo is  the seat of Catholicism in Eastern Visayas.

During the papal visit, Francis will celebrate Mass  in the morning of Jan. 17.

Then he will motor to  the Archbishop’s Residence compound,  12 kilometers from the airport, to share a meal with  30 calamity victims.

Of the 30, 15 are from Leyte, five from Borongan in Eastern Samar, five from Calbayog in Samar, and five from Tagbilaran in Bohol.

A local group is preparing the food, Fr. Militante said.

“I don’t know yet the menu. But maybe, one of the food will be lechon (roasted pig) simply because it’s  typical Filipino food for a feast,” he said.

During lunch, Pope Francis will be seated at the center of a U-shaped table in the dining room of the Archbishop’s Residence.

Fifteen survivors will take seats on the pope’s right while another group of 15 will sit on the opposite side.

Joining the lunch with the pope and the survivors will be Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and Palo Archbishop John Du.