Pope Francis now in Apostolic Nunciature

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The concrete barricades worked.

It took only about 37 minutes for Pope Francis to arrive at the Apostolic Nunciature in Taft Avenue from Villamor Airbase, much faster than the initial 3 to 4 hours that authorities earlier estimated. 

Pope Francis’s motorcade arrived at the nuncio at 6:55 pm Thursday, January 15. He landed in the Philippines shortly before 6pm. The motorcade traversed Roxas Boulevard and Taft Avenue on the way to the nuncio.

Francis boarded an open-air popemobile with 2 fellow religious leaders, including Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle. 

He waved to thousands of Filipinos, who waited hours to catch a a glimpse of him, as he made his way the airbase to the Apostolic Nunciature in Taft Avenue, Manila. 

Authorities earlier estimated the Pope’s motorcade to last at least 3 hours, but the combination of concrete and human barricades that were set up before his arrival proved to be effective in controlling the crowd and allowing for a smooth flow of traffic. 

– Rappler.com