Falling Scaffold Kills Filipina Aid Worker After Pope Francis’s Mass In Tacloban

Despite the open popemobiles that Pope Francis used in his five-day pastoral visit to the Philippines on Jan 15 to 19 and his frequently breaching security by joining the crowd to shake hands, kiss babies, bless the sick and join selfies, there was no attempt to kill him.

This contrasts with the visits of two other pontiffs in the country - Pope Paul VI in 1970 and Pope John Paul II in 1980 and 1995 - when both popes had attempts on their lives while in Manila.

However, one sad note to the very spiritual encounter of the Filipinos with the head of the Roman Catholic Church was the death of a young Filipina relief worker who attended the pope's mass in Tacloban on Jan 17.

Twenty-seven year-old Kristel Mae Padasas was killed by a collapsed scaffolding after the Tacloban Mass. She was a volunteer of the Catholic Relief Service who served victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in November 2013 and was assigned in Samar Province to work on a project that benefits the typhoon victims, who are the main reasons why Pope Francis came to the Philippines.

She was the only daughter whose mother works as a contract worker in Hong Kong, while her father lives in the province.

During the pope's encounter on Sunday morning with the Filipino youth at the royal and pontifical University of Santo Tomas - the only Philippine university that visiting popes go to - in Manila, Pope Francis asked for a moment of silence to pray for Kristel as well as her parents who are coming to Manila.

YouTube/Rappler

In the afternoon, Pope Francis celebrated his concluding Mass at the Quirino Grandstand before a crowd estimated to be more than 3 million. The Filipinos, who have been at Rizal Park early in the morning for the 3 p.m. Eucharistic celebration didn't mind the rain since Typhoon Amang was drenching the country since Saturday.

The audience were covered by yellow raincoats provided by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines since security arrangements banned the bringing of umbrellas which could be used as a disguise to hide a deadly weapon.

For the five-day pastoral visit, beginning with the Holy Father's arrival at the airport, to his daily trips to the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila, people lined up the streets where his vehicle passed that total number of people who have seen and greeted him is estimated at 6 to 7 million.

YouTube/Traveler's Couch by Moon Ray Lo

According to Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, the Archbishop of Manila, Pope Francis was so overwhelmed by the multitudes who attended all his events as well as lined up the streets where he passed.

Fr Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman added, quoted by ABS-CBN, "The way the Pope has been received has been marvelous and extraordinary. The Pope was very touched, and the numbers were incredible, and in a sense the entire nation was here around the Pope. The Pope has appreciated this very, very much."

To contact the writer, email: v.hernandez@ibtimes.com.au