I feel so blessed for
having had the opportunity to meet Pope John Paul II during his first visit to
the Philippines in 1981. I was one of two women invited by the Papal Nuncio to
join other church leaders involved with the National Council of Churches in the
Philippines for an audience with the head of the Roman Catholic Church. This
rare event was held at the Papal Nuncio’s residence located along Taft Avenue
in Manila.
Bishops
and heads of mainline Protestant Churches including the three bishops of the
United Methodist Church were present. A brief service was held with the late
Bishop Laverne Mercado as the liturgist. Pope John Paul delivered the homily.
His message focused on church unity and love for our fellowmen. He quoted the
Scriptures and emphasized that,
"We are one under the Lordship of Christ." Jesus said, "I
am the vine you are the branches". He ended his homily with, "Let us
love one another for love is of God."
After the service, all of us formed a semi-circle and the Pope approached us individually to shake our hands. When my turn came, I held his right hand and tried to kiss his ring, but he firmly held it down and said "Aurora, thank you for being here. I have something for you from Rome.” He turned to the priest assisting him and got a small black box containing a medallion engraved with his profile and a colored photo of his handsome self, and handed them to me. He looked at me straight in the eyes and said, "I hope you will not forget me!" I was tongue-tied. Who will ever forget this solemn experience! I could hardly speak. I just smiled and said the only word I could muster at that moment, “Thank you, Father.” Pope John Paul smiled back as he moved on to the next person.