Pope Francis and the Sinulog
Pope Francis will be in Manila next week and will stay there for five days. He will sneak a visit to Tacloban on January 17 but will fly back to the capital city a few hours later.
Why Tacloban and not Cebu, the very place where Christianity first took root in this country? The reason of course is Yolanda which smothered Leyte's regional capital, destroyed the lives of more than 6,000 people (according to the government) and caused untold sufferings to survivors. Cebu was also hit but only partially, thus it did not seem in need of papal consolation, as far as Vatican point men are concerned.
Church leaders in Cebu no doubt must have suggested a visit to the first Christian province in the country. But somehow this must have fallen on deaf ears. This, despite the appeal of government leaders for such visit.
Sayang, some Cebuanos have commented, the Pope's presence could have highlighted the Fiesta Señor solemnities. He could have seen how extremely devoted the Cebuano are to the Holy Child. And he could also have witnessed the now famous Sinulog Mardi Gras, the tourist-drawing mother of Philippine festivals.
Sinulog Mardi Gras–this must be precisely the reason why the Pope has said no to a Cebu visit. It's a pilgrimage of faith, the visit has been called. So how can the Holy Father be present in a place where the grandest of pomp and pageantry are taking place? The days leading to the Sinulog festival are days of revelry, partying and fellowship. Streets are ablaze with lights and canopied with colored flaglets. Days of good times and merry-making, these are, not days of reflection and testament of faith.
In the Basilica of course the tradition of solemnity and prayers are observed. Thousands take part in the novena and as usual thousands, perhaps, hundreds of thousands will join the religious procession. But even these rituals have been infiltrated with the spirit of festivity and revelry. In fact, it is a good guess that many of those who go to the Basilica do so on second thought only, the first being to savor the sights and sounds of the Sinulog phenomena.
And in the midst of all these we expect the Holy Father to come to Cebu? Pope Francis, we have been informed, is a different kind of church leader. The first non-European Pope in more than a thousand years, he has a distinctive personality quite different from that of his predecessors. As an individual and as a religious leader he has been noted for his humility and concern for the poor. As a pope his approach to the papacy is strikingly simple. For example, instead of residing in the papal apartment of the Apostolic Place, he is staying at a guesthouse, a place frequented by ordinary religious visitors. For vestments he favors a simple one devoid of ornamentation and for his piscatory ring he chooses one made of silver instead of gold.
Certainly, Pope Francis would have been aghast at seeing the ostentatious display of artistic splendor we call the Sinulog in a country where so many are poor and in need of help. His fellowship with a segment of the suffering victims of Yolanda in Tacloban is sure to touch him to the core. And how can such experience justify a pleasant moment with our Sinulog Mardi Gras?'
Perhaps, if we had told the Pope that part of the Sinulog proceeds would go to the reconstruction of the churches that have remained in ruins since the earthquake struck, or for the construction of public hospitals, or to lessen the sufferings of the underserved people in our community, perhaps the Holy Father might have seen a slight justification for a Cebu visit. But we could not say these because these charities never occurred in the minds of the Sinulog moguls.
So on with the drumbeats and dancing craze! The progenies of the first Filipino Christians are still Christians–but only in sights and sounds and rarely in mind and heart.
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