Leyte town wants Francis declared ‘Superpope’

MANILA, Philippines - For having braved the strong winds and rains brought by Tropical Storm Amang in Leyte last week, the municipal council of Tabon-Tabon has passed a resolution declaring Pope Francis a “Superpope.”

According to CBCPNews, the official news service provider of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, the resolution was sponsored by newly installed council member Nestor Abrematea and had the approval of all the councilors of Tabon-Tabon, which is located some 45 kilometers south of Tacloban City where the pontiff held a mass.

In the resolution, the councilors expressed the people’s admiration for Pope Francis for braving Amang in order to be with survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda that hit the country in November 2013 and celebrate mass with them.

The Holy Father proceeded with his flight to Tacloban even if typhoon signal No. 2 was hoisted over Eastern Visayas last Jan. 17.

Abrematea noted that Leyte was the site of the first mass in the Philippines and where the seed of Christianity was planted in the 16th century.

Meanwhile, the city council of Tacloban led by Vice Mayor Jerry Yaokasin also passed a resolution last Jan. 22 expressing deep gratitude to Pope Francis for his apostolic journey to Tacloban.

“It is the city government’s gesture of expressing gratefulness to Pope Francis for the inspiration he gave to the victims of Yolanda and the joy and comfort he gave to those still grieving,” he said.

In the resolution, the council also expressed the Taclobanons’ gratefulness because of all the cities in the Visayas and Mindanao, Pope Francis chose to visit Tacloban.

The council appreciated the Holy Father’s comment during a press conference aboard Shepherd One – Philippine Airlines’ special direct flight to Rome – that his most moving experience in the Philippines was the mass in Tacloban.

Yaokasin said they would send a copy of the resolution to the Vatican through Papal Nuncio Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto and Palo Archbishop John Du.