Tacloban holds storytelling session on Pope Francis’ life

MANILA, Philippines - A multi-sectoral network preparing communities in Eastern Visayas for the visit of Pope Francis on Saturday organized a storytelling activity about the pope’s life and ideals in Tacloban City yesterday.

People’s Committee to Welcome the Pope in Eastern Visayas (People’s Welcome-EV) convener Sr. Martha Lugtu said that the young ones in San Jose district, Tacloban City live so close to where the pope would hold mass, but they “may not get a chance to even just get a glimpse of Pope Francis due to the very tight security around his visit.”

“We held this storytelling activity to help the children process their alienation from a big gathering that’s about to happen just outside their backyard, and understand that the pope’s visit is precisely in solidarity with their plight as survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda and other recent disasters,” she explained.

Lugtu said the group used a storybook hand-drawn by volunteers to teach the children about the pope’s social teachings, the need to uphold human dignity especially for the poor, and the role of the youth in transforming society.

“In his 2014 World Youth Day message, Pope Francis said to the youth that ‘we have to learn to be on the side of the poor, and not just indulge in rhetoric about the poor.’ This is the spirit of what the people should learn and imbibe from the Holy Father’s visit,” the Benedictine nun said.

“We should all reciprocate Pope Francis’ solidarity with the poor by learning and being part of the poor’s struggles,” she added.

Following the storytelling, the children were made to reflect on the current situation of their families following the series of typhoons that hit the region.

– With Raymund Catindig, Edith Regalado, Paolo Romero