Filipinos ‘grieve like orphans’ at death of ‘grandpa’ Pope Francis 

Cardinal David recalled when Francis described Filipino migrants as ‘smugglers of the faith’ who ‘can cross borders and touch hearts where formal missionaries cannot go’.

Thousands of Filipino Catholics joined Masses for the soul of Pope Francis, who was widely known as “Lolo Kiko” (Grandpa Kiko) in Asia’s biggest Christian-majority country. 

The Archbishop of Manila Cardinal Jose Advincula said Mass at the Manila Cathedral on the morning of 22 April, while the Bishop of Kalookan Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David led the liturgy at San Roque Cathedral around noon. Both will vote in the forthcoming conclave.

Other Masses for the Pope are scheduled across the country throughout the week, and are expected to draw thousands of attendees from the Philippines’ 86 million Catholics. 

In a statement, Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan Socrates Villegas said: “Pope Francis was Jesus for our age.”

“Although we grieve like orphans because he was truly Lolo Kiko for us, we also stand firm in faith and hope that the radiance of the risen Lord will shine upon him forever,” Villegas said.

“He was the gift of the Good Shepherd to the Church. He served us with humility. He showed us God’s mercy. He linked us with bridges of compassion with fellow believers and with nonbelievers. He bravely disturbed us in our complacency and prejudices. He taught us to care for God’s creation. He taught us Jesus.”

Cardinal David, the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, called Francis “a shepherd who walked with his people, often choosing the dusty road toward the peripheries rather than the comfort of the centre”.

The cardinal cited Francis’ “vision of synodality”, through which he “challenged us to rediscover the Church not as a fortress, but as a field hospital – welcoming, healing, and journeying together”. 

David recalled when Francis described Filipino migrants as “smugglers of the faith”, as he reminded Filipinos “that the witness of simple, faithful lives can cross borders and touch hearts where formal missionaries cannot go”.

“May we always be, as he called us to be, ‘smugglers of the faith,’ carrying the light of Christ to every corner of the earth,” said Cardinal Vincula.

In a statement, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said Francis was “the best pope in my lifetime”, remembering him as “a man of profound faith and humility” who “led not only with wisdom but with a heart open to all, especially the poor and the forgotten”.

“By example, Pope Francis taught us that to be a good Christian is to extend kindness and care to one another. His humility brought many back to the fold of the Church,” said Marcos. “It is a profoundly sad day.”

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