Papal firsts: Francis in poncho, mass in the rain

MANILA, Philippines - Pope Francis’ visit to Tacloban City was a historic event. It was the first time that the pontiff celebrated a mass in the rain while wearing a poncho.

“This visit is really a first for me. This is an experience for me,” Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle quoted the pontiff as telling him on the plane on their way back to Manila Saturday afternoon.

The pope’s visit to the typhoon-devastated region was cut short due to Tropical Storm Amang.

Pope Francis decided to push through with the mass at the Tacloban airport despite the rains and strong winds.

Hundreds of thousands of people, wearing yellow raincoats provided by the Archdiocese of Palo, attended the open-air mass near the airport.

“I asked the Holy Father whether he celebrated mass with a raincoat on and he said, ‘No this is the first time. It’s a historic event,’” Tagle said in a press briefing at Diamond Hotel Saturday night.

“He is very pastoral - getting to know what the people go through,” he added.

Tagle said the pontiff had a brief but intimate encounter with 30 survivors of Typhoon Yolanda and the Bohol earthquake during lunch before he returned to Manila.

“I will never forget the face of the Holy Father while listening to each one who lost their parents, brothers and sisters,” he said.