Military: Crowd along Pope's motorcade route 'well-disciplined'

MANILA, Philippines - The military on Thursday night said the arrival of Pope Francis was “very peaceful” and was not marred by any untoward incident.

Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Col. Restituto Padilla attributed the peaceful arrival to the cooperation and discipline of the public.

“The crowd was well-disciplined and we would like to thank them all for their cooperation. We hope it would be this way during the duration of the Holy Fathers visit,” Padilla said in a statement.

“No incident occurred and it was very peaceful,” he added.

Padilla said witnessing the pontiff’s arrival was a “very uplifting experience.”

“They were cheering the Pope with gusto and so much fervor!” the military spokesman added.