Be disciplined; help protect Francis

The Philippines is indeed blessed to be visited by three popes—Paul VI, John Paul II (who visited twice), and now, Francis. This, in spite of the fact that corrupt public officials have been enslaving the people. Or maybe it is because of that: God is sending His vicar to the Philippines to reform the people. In biblical days, God sent lightning or a plague to punish the sinners. Now He sends the Pope.

Like Holy Week and the start of a New Year, may the visit of Pope Francis touch the heart and conscience of our people and make them decide to turn a new leaf.

An indication of the quality of our top public officials is that we ousted two presidents (Ferdinand Marcos and Joseph Estrada) and are prosecuting a third (Gloria Macapagal Arroyo), impeached a chief justice, are investigating a vice president (Jejomar Binay), and prosecuting and detaining a former Senate president (Juan Ponce Enrile) and two other senators (Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla), as well as a number of congressmen, officials in the executive branch, and their cohorts in the private sector—all for corruption.

In fact, the dockets of the Office of the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan—established precisely to prosecute and try, respectively, corruption cases—are crammed with graft cases. And it takes these two bodies years to resolve these cases.

Thus, the slow wheels of justice do not deter other officials from committing the same crimes. Even if you are caught and prosecuted, the trial takes years, so that you can continue to steal the people’s money. And even if you are convicted, you can buy your privileges, so that you can continue your crimes even inside prison, as the VIPs (Very Important Prisoners) of the national penitentiary have shown. While they are supposed to be imprisoned as punishment for their crimes, they actually live luxurious lives in their own private residences there, as if they are billeted in five-star hotels, with the taxpayers paying the bills.

That is why I and many other Filipinos are hoping that the visit of the Pope, which is a very rare honor and privilege for any country, will so touch the hearts of our people that they will spurn evil and do what is good.

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Right now, Pope Francis is the most beloved person in the Philippines. Because of this, throngs of people will want to see, hear, and perhaps even touch him. With six million people expected, how can many of them even come close to the Pope?

There will be a scramble to get near him; people will be pushing and shoving others. With so many people expected, it would be easy to start panic or even a stampede. And as happened in the recent procession of the Black Nazarene, where two persons died, more may die or be injured if the same thing happens during the Mass that the Holy Father will celebrate at Rizal Park on Sunday.

So temper your religious fervor with good sense and patience. Discipline yourself. Do not push or shove. Even if you don’t come close or even see the Pope in person, you can still see him on television in the comfort of your homes. The TV news networks will surely air his activities again and again after he leaves on Monday.

The disabled, the sick, the sinners, and sufferers will surely want to be close to the Pope, hoping that he would be able to cure or solve whatever is troubling them, as if he is the personification of God Himself come down from heaven.

But don’t be dismayed even if you don’t see him in person. God will hear your prayers just the same, in the same way that He listens to your prayers even if you are not in church.

What is giving our officials nightmares is the problem of security. With so many people and with the Pope himself wanting to come close to the people, it would be easy for crazies to do him harm.

There have been previous attempts against a pope. When Pope Paul VI came to the Philippines in 1970, there was an assassination attempt on him at the Manila International Airport. And in the Vatican itself, a weirdo stabbed the Pope while he was mingling with and blessing the crowd outside St. Peter’s Basilica.

The government has done everything possible to protect Pope Francis. Imagine how the Philippines would be seen by the world if anything happens to him while he is here.

The recent terrorist attacks in Europe and the Middle East send shivers up and down the spine of security people. An attempt on the Pope does not even require a sensible reason, such as a difference in religion. A mentally disturbed person may do it simply to attract attention to himself.

Unfortunately, the best security force in the world cannot protect the Pope 100 percent if he mingles with the crowd during his visit. So the security people are asking the help of the public. Be alert. Report any suspicious character. There will be many law enforcement officers scattered all over the sites the Pope will visit. Do not be timid, report to them any suspicious characters.