The pope wrote (with a pen in his own hand) on the Malacañang guestbook the following: "On the president and the people on this beloved land of the Philippines, I ask almighty God abundant blessings of wisdom, discernment, prosperity and peace." In his speech, he urged officials of the government to reject all forms of corruption (which takes resources away from the poor). Viewed by many as a radical pope for forging unheard of reforms within the Vatican (reorganizing departments of the Holy See, subjecting the Roman Curia's finances to a strict audit, applying fresh standards for appointing cardinals and the process for sainthood, etc.), Francis' calls for the clergy to go the extra mile, as it were, in accompanying the flock in their search for Christ and to open church doors to all, including members of the so-called LGBTQ+ community, the divorced and remarried Catholics, and the pro-abortion politicians, have clashed with Church leaders who remain committed to what observers deem as conservative beliefs. He was immobile for a couple of hours, and, in disgust, he felt like calling the pope to tell him "PI ka, umuwi ka na." Duterte won the election and spent a good amount of time trying to discredit the Catholic hierarchy, throwing at will accusations of clerical abuse, and even predicting that the Catholic Church would disappear in about a quarter of a century. Peter's Basilica where he blessed the crowd with the traditional "urbi et orbi," (to the city and to the world), he opened with a shaky voice: "Dear brothers and sisters, Happy Easter!" Some people in the audience had wiped drips of tears away from their eyes, seemingly happy to see that the Holy Father was showing signs of recovery from pneumonia. A part of his Easter message, read for him by Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, reads: "I appeal to all those in positions of political responsibility in our world not to yield to the logic of fear which only leads to isolation from others, but rather to use the resources available to help the needy, to fight hunger and to encourage initiatives that promote development. Read Full Story
