MANILA, Philippines – Pope Francis can also learn “mercy and compassion,” the theme of his Philippine trip in January 2015, from Filipinos who reel from a series of deadly disasters.  

Francis, after all, “will come not only as a teacher but also as someone in need of inspiration,” Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said in a recollection Wednesday, December 3.

Tagle said, “I-inspire po natin siya.” (Let us inspire him.)

The cardinal echoed his message in an earlier interview with Vatican Radio. During the interview, he said, one question was about the hopes of the Philippines. 

“I told them, ‘Ang isang pag-asa ko ay sana hindi lamang si Pope Francis ang magdala ng habag at malasakit sa amin. Sana, ma-inspire si Pope Francis at matuto siya sa mga Pilipino, makita niya kung papaano kami magmalasakit at maging mahabagin sa isa’t isa.’”

(I told them, “One of my hopes is, it’s not only Pope Francis who will bring mercy and compassion to us. I hope that Pope Francis will also be inspired by and learn from Filipinos, that he will see how we show mercy and compassion to each other.) 

Pope to see ‘faith of simple people’

With the theme “mercy and compassion,” the main objective of his Philippine trip is to visit earthquake and Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) survivors in the Visayas. (READ: Pope: I shouldn’t be the focus of my Philippine trip)

In a media conference on November 14, Tagle also said Francis “really admires the faith and resilience of the survivors.”

“I think he will come to bring a message of solidarity and hope, but I’m also quite certain that he would want to imbibe, to be edified, to be inspired by the faith of a simple people,” he said.

In July, Tagle said Filipinos can show the Pope “who we truly are, especially the resilience of the Filipinos coming from faith, coming from compassion, coming from bottomless hope.”

He said: “We, who experience an average of 20 to 22 typhoons a year, we can show the world what it means to be pained, to clean up, to stand again, and to face another morning.”

The highlight of his trip is his visit to Yolanda-hit Tacloban and Palo in Leyte on January 17, 2015. (READ: Vatican releases Pope’s Philippine itinerary) – Rappler.com