RP: A deep sense of grief, loss

President Arroyo led the nation yesterday in expressing a "deep sense of grief" over the death of Pope John Paul II, a highly revered figure in this largely Roman Catholic nation.

The 84-year-old Pontiff died Saturday night in Rome (3:37 a.m. Sunday in Manila) after a long struggle against crippling infirmity.

"Our people receive the news of his death with a deep sense of grief and loss," Mrs. Arroyo, a devout Catholic, said in a statement.

"He was a holy champion of the Filipino family and of profound Christian values that make everyone of us contemplate everyday what is just, moral and sacred in life," Mrs. Arroyo said.

"The world will miss a great spiritual bridge among all nations," she said, adding that "the weak and oppressed will always remember their hero and advocate who sowed peace and love by his awesome charisma and noble deeds."

She said the country joins the whole world in prayer "on this day of universal bereavement."

Mrs. Arroyo declared a period of national mourning starting today until the Pope is laid to rest.

The President also ordered all government offices nationwide to fly the flag at half mast.

A spokesman for the Apostolic Nunciature (Holy See) in Manila said a special Mass would be held for the Pope on Wednesday morning at the 400-year-old Manila Cathedral.

He said a special book of condolence had been opened for diplomats, government officials and "the people."

As news of the Pope’s death began to spread during the morning, people started lining up outside the Holy See’s office in Manila to sign the condolence book.

In his homily at the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Mandaluyong, Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales said the Pope had spoken so much about compassion.

Rosales said the late pontiff will have a special place in the heart of Filipinos.

During his homily, Rosales also asked the faithful to pray for the Church to find a worthy successor for the late Pope John Paul II.

Archbishop Emeritus Jaime Cardinal Sin issued a statement expressing his grief and sadness.

"With profound grief, I join the whole Christendom and the peoples of the world in mourning the passing of our beloved Pope John Paul II," Sin said.

"He has gone back to the Father. He has returned to the loving embrace of Mary. He is now our intercessor in heaven," he said.

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, the former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), described Pope John Paul II as "the Pope of the people."

"You were a citizen of the world. You are the joy of the Church," Cruz said.

"God gave him the Church that loved him. He gave himself to humanity that needed him. God took him back to His Kingdom where he rightfully belongs," he said.

"He served well. He suffered much. He died in peace. His life is ended but his spirit lives on."

Apostolic Nuncio Antonio Franco, for his part, described the death of the Pope as "prophetic."

"We are also able to see this event in the life of the Holy Father as a prophetic event because he lived with lucidity until the end and he pronounced ‘Amen’ before dying to say, my mission is accomplished.

"And this mission has been to bring us closer to Jesus Christ and to bring Jesus in each one of us," Franco said.

‘The Most Popular Pope’

Officials led by Mrs. Arroyo and Vice President Noli de Castro issued statements expressing their grief on behalf of the faithful.

De Castro, for his part, said "let us forever instill in our hearts the Pope’s teachings, sacrifices and service to God and let it be an example to everyone and an invitation to be united in compassion."

Former President Corazon Aquino said she felt very sad after learning that Pope John Paul had finally succumbed to his illness.

"I’m very sad he has left us but also very happy for him...he’s been very kind to us. I’ve been praying that he didn’t have a hard time (before he died)," Mrs. Aquino said.

"We Filipinos seem to have a special place in his heart," she said.

Mrs. Aquino met the Pope thrice after succeeding the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos who was ousted in a popular revolt in February 1986.

The former chief executive then had the opportunity to meet the Pope twice after her term of office.

She expressed her hopes that the Church will elect "another Pope John Paul II."

Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. described the late pontiff as the "most popular Pope in history since St. Peter."

"I have no doubt that because of his life’s work – and his tireless effort to strengthen the faith and spread the gospel of peace – he would achieve sainthood."

Other lawmakers also joined the nation in mourning. Opposition Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said the Pope’s refusal to endorse the regime of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos in his first visit in the country in 1981 was most memorable.

"Of course, his visits here have touched the lives of people directly and I remember during the Marcos years, he did not endorse martial law and I remember him for (that) definitely," Pimentel said.

Sen. Manuel Villar said the Pope "is an extraordinary man who had blessed so many lives."

"I join the entire nation and the whole world in mourning the death of our beloved Pope John Paul II...The Pope’s mere presence and wave of his hands left people deeply touched, he was truly a charismatic and revered man," Villar said.

Sen. Edgardo Angara also described the Pope as one who ushered the Catholic Church into an "unprecedented era of openness without compromising the core doctrines of the Church."

Angara said the Pope had fought for women’s rights and against child abuse. He noted the Pope also dealt with controversial issues and inspired people to defy authoritarianism.

Local government officials like Manila Mayor Lito Atienza offered their prayers for the Pope who had visited the city twice.

Atienza ordered all city government offices to fly the national colors at half mast.

"We are inspired and will continually be inspired by the Pope’s teachings on the constant propagation of a culture of life," Atienza said.

Throughout the country Masses were being held for the Pope as church bells tolled across the nation.

The Baclaran Church in Parañaque City was filled to capacity as people lit candles and offered prayers.

Families from all walks of life cried openly during Mass.

Baclaran Church parish priest Rey Culaba said: "People have been coming here since last week seeking comfort. People are very sad that he has gone."

Culaba said the Pope had "kept St. Peter’s boat afloat" through some critical times.

"He was a man who united people not only Catholics. His papacy will be remembered as a very strong one which was characterized by his deep caring about people and his ability to reach out to the poor."

The Baclaran Church – Minor Basilica for Mother of Perpetual Help – has a special significance for many Catholics in the country as it was the first church the Pope visited in the country.

As a young cardinal, he visited the church in 1974 during a stopover on a flight to Australia.

The Philippines is the only bastion of Roman Catholicism in Asia with almost 80 percent of the country’s population of 85 million are Catholics. The faith was introduced to the Philippines by Spanish colonialists in the 16th century.

The Pope, deeply revered by Filipinos, visited the country twice, drawing crowds in the millions.

In 1981, the Pope beatified the first Filipino saint Lorenzo Ruiz, and in 1995, he led the World Youth Day celebrations, where authorities thwarted an attempt by Islamic extremists to assassinate him.

Vatican described the World Youth Day in Manila as an "excess of success."

Respect For Islam

Some Muslim religious leaders in the country have kind words for the late Pope.

Datu Antao Midtimbang, the mayor of Guindulungan town in Maguindanao and a key leader of the Tabgleegh, a congregation of Islamic preachers, said the Pope is admired for his role in fostering Muslim-Christian interfaith solidarity.

"It was only Pope John Paul II who had entered Islamic holy sites in the Middle East to show his respect for Muslims," Midtimbang said.

"The gesture was so profound and so noble. In Islam there is no compulsion in religion. Muslims can co-exist with other people of other faiths and the Pope was the one who complemented this Islamic principle through his actions," he said.

Abdurahman Piang, the grand mufti of Pikit, North Cotabato, said he will extol the accomplishments of the Pope in peace-building during Friday’s mandatory prayers in their mosque.

Datu Tucao Mastura, a descendant of Sultan Kudarat, said the Pope "must be honored as a champion in peace-building and religious solidarity."

"Religions are something that should not separate us. All religions teach us to unite, to be at peace with our neighbors regardless of their color and race. This is something the Pope has exemplified both in his actions and his words," he said.

Mastura, an incumbent mayor in his hometown of Sultan Kudarat in Maguindanao, said he will issue a memorandum to his subordinates in their local government unit to offer prayers for the Pope.

Ustadz Abukhalil, a preacher in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao, said the Pope will be remembered by Muslims all over the world for his advocacy for peaceful settlement of conflicts.

"He may be a Catholic, but his examples in peace-building were just the same examples shown by no less (than) Prophet Mohammad. The Pope has overwhelming respect for life and all of Allah’s creations," Abukhalil said.

He said one very remarkable example of the Pope in advocating peace and reconciliation was when he forgave the Turkish national who shot and wounded him in a botched assassination attempt right at the Vatican grounds.

Ustadz Shariff Julabbi, the speaker of the League of Ulama Council of the Philippines said they are saddened by death of the Pope.

Julabbi said the Ulamas have described the Pope as a "unique religious leader and very charismatic."

"He was a wonderful man. And we believed and observed when it comes to humanity, he does not distinguish Muslim and Christian," Julabbi said.

He agreed most Muslims were touched by the Pope’s gesture of forgiving Turkish extremist Mehmet Ali Agca in the assassination attempt against him.

For his part, Davao Archbishop and CBCP president Fernando Capalla recalled the Pope was aware of the initiatives of Muslim leaders to attain peace in Mindanao.

Capalla said that the Pope would even personally identify him as "the one from Mindanao."

Capalla has been the country’s lone representative to the 30-member Pontifical Council for Inter-religious dialogues based in Rome. The council meets every other year and it gives the Pope advice on dialogue in relations to other non-Christian faiths.

"The Holy Father even told me during our last meeting in September 2003 of the decision to issue the 10 propositions for peace based on what had already been undertaken by the Bishop-Ulama Conference that it should be adopted throughout the country," Capalla said.

As dawn broke, thousands of faithful trooped to the churches to offer their prayers to the Pope.

Regular parishioner Henry Kaasi, 53, arrived at the Baclaran church after hearing the news early morning of the Pope’s death over the radio.

"Ever since the Pope became ill I have been praying for him," he said.

"We are all deeply saddened by his passing although not surprised as he had been sick for some time. But we know he has returned to our maker so we are comforted by that."

Ming Molkao, a 44-year-old church worker, said: "The Pope has done a great deal of good for the Church and had led us through some difficult years. We are happy he is going to have his rest now." - With reports from Mike Frialde, Christina Mendez, Eva Visperas, Roel Pareño, John Unson, Edith Regalado, AFP