Philippines preparing for Pope’s visit ‎

The Philippine Catholic Church and government leaders are preparing the country for the visit of Pope Francis to the country with spiritual guidance for the faithful and precautions about crowd control.  Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Archbishop of Manila announced details of the Pope's Jan. 15-19 itinerary, after the Holy Father arrives a 2-day visit to Sri Lanka. "The pastoral visit of Pope Francis will surely bring much blessing to all of us," said Cardinal Tagle, "especially to the poor, the survivors of calamities, both natural- and human-caused and the victims of different types of injustice.”  “The concern and solidarity of Jesus the Good Shepherd will be palpable in the person and presence of Pope Francis," the cardinal said.  Manila Archdiocese is organizing a recollection on Dec. 3 for media persons who will be covering Pope Francis’s visit to the Philippines.  “For those who are interested, I will give a recollection regarding the Pope’s visit to the media people so that you would also be prepared spiritually,” Cardinal Tagle said.  He said he will particularly focus his recollection on “Mercy and Compassion”, the official theme of the papal visit.