MANILA (MindaNews/17 January) — How does one explain the privilege of having been able to encounter this holy man, Francis, except to say, sincerely, it’s not explainable?[]
No work, no achievement, no advocacy, no membership in any group or society was entitlement for this. It was sheer undeserved grace, as grace always is.
The event, I understand, was conceived long ago when Cardinal Chito Tagle suggested to Pope Francis that he might visit his Jesuit brothers in the Philippines. It was a suggestion that already bore fruit in Korea, when the Pope suddenly visited the Jesuit community of Sogang University. It was a suggestion that kept people guessing whether the Pope would visit AdMU (Ateneo de Manila University).
Fr. Joe Quilongquiolong had even spruced up his Loyola House of Studies to welcome him. As it turned out, 40 of us were invited. The personal invitation signed by Abp. Guissepe Pinto said, “His Holiness Pope Francis will receive Reverend Father Joel Tabora at the Apostolic Nunciature on Friday, 16 January 2015, at 6:30 pm.”
Invited, I went gratefully. We gathered in a special sala of the Nunciature. Suddenly
the Pope was there, greeting each of us individually. When he got to the front of the group he said with a warm smile, “I was told that there were 40 Jesuits waiting here.” Fr. Provincial said, “In Sri Lanka, there were 40 elephants to welcome the Pope. Here, there were 40 Jesuits to welcome you.” Quick on the repartee, the Pope responded, “But in Sri Lanka the elephants were very well dressed.”
He said that he would use Spanish to talk to us. If he used English, he said, he would not be able to say anything and we would not be able to understand anything.[]