TACLOBAN // Pope Francis was forced to flee a fierce storm in the Philippines that killed a papal volunteer on Saturday, cutting short a mercy mission to survivors of a catastrophic super typhoon.
Wearing a thin plastic poncho to protect him from the intense rain, Pope Francis delivered an emotional mass to about 200,000 people in the typhoon-ravaged city of Tacloban, in the central Philippines.
The pope had intended to spend the entire day in Tacloban and nearby areas that were devastated 14 months ago by Typhoon Haiyan, but this plan was ruined by another storm, which forced him to fly back to the capital Manila at lunchtime.
“So I apologise to you all. I’m sad about this, truly saddened,” the 78-year-old pontiff told thousands of people who had gathered at one church, shortly before he raced back to the airport.
The pope’s plane made the 90-minute flight back to Manila safely.
But highlighting the storm’s dangers, a papal volunteer at the morning mass died as steel scaffolding collapsed on her, a church spokesman said.
A plane carrying three of President Benigno Aquino’s top aides then overshot the runway on take-off at Tacloban and nosedived into mud, only minutes after Pope Francis’s plane flew back to Manila. No-one was badly injured.
The trip to Tacloban and surrounding areas was one of the pope’s primary motivations for making a five-day visit to the Philippines, the Catholic Church’s Asian stronghold.
Typhoon Haiyan, the most powerful storm ever recorded on land, left 7,350 people dead or missing in November 2013 as it devastated fishing and farming towns that were already among the country’s poorest.
Pope Francis celebrated the morning mass at Tacloban’s airport, after receiving a joyous welcome from the 200,000-strong crowd.
“Long live the pope,” the crowd chanted as he walked off the plane to be immediately buffeted by strong winds and heavy rain.
His welcome echoed the rapturous reception that millions gave the pontiff during the first two days of his trip to the Philippines, where he is a highly revered figure.
Most of the people in the crowd at Tacloban wore thin plastic ponchos handed out by organisers, and the pope also put one on before walking on to a nearby stage to celebrate mass in heavy rain.
“I would like to tell you something close to my heart,” the pope said as many in the crowd clutched crucifixes and cried.
“When I saw in Rome that catastrophe, I felt I had to be here. And on those very days, I decided to come here. I’m here to be with you.”
He acknowledged the enduring pain being experienced by the survivors.
“Some of you have lost part of your families. All I can do is keep silent. And I walk with you all with my silent heart,” he said.
The pope declared Jesus would never let them down, and many in the crowd said the pontiff’s words had indeed lifted their spirits.
“I can’t explain how I feel. I am filled with gratitude. Never in my life did I think that I’d see a pope,” said 68-year-old housewife Virginia Torres, wiping tears and raindrops from her face.
Ms Torres, whose house – a two hours’ drive from Tacloban – was wiped out by Haiyan’s tsunami-like storm surges, said the pope’s address had given her “renewed hope” even while filling her again with pain.
“I was overwhelmed with emotion, especially when he mentioned that he can relate to our suffering,” she said. “Everything that we went through came back.”
The Philippines endures an average of about 20 major storms or typhoons a year, many of them deadly.
The eye of Saturday’s storm was just 50 kilometres away when the pope’s plane took off for Manila, a local weather agency forecaster said.
Tropical storm Mekkhala is forecast to follow the pope west across the Philippines and hit Manila with strong winds and rain on Sunday, when a crowd of up to six million people is expected to hear him celebrate mass at a park.
* Agence France-Presse