MANILA, Philippines — Officials say some 3 million people have gathered in a Manila park and surrounding areas for Pope Francis' final Mass.
Francis Tolentino, chairman of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, gave the estimate as of 1 p.m., with two hours to go, and said more people are streaming into the area.
Organizers expect as many as 6 million people might attend the service, surpassing the 5 million record set by St. John Paul II at the same Rizal Park in 1995.
Pope Francis, meanwhile, spent some of his down time today consoling the father of a Catholic volunteer killed while helping organize the pope's Mass in Tacloban yesterday. The Vatican says the Pope met for about 20 minutes with the girl's father at the Vatican embassy.