Asia's Catholics are marking the death of Pope Francis, with Timor-Leste announcing seven days of mourning. In the Philippines, the faithful have been flocking to cathedrals.
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00:01Throughout the evening here at Manila Cathedral,
00:05people have been filing in, lighting a candle,
00:08and saying a prayer for Pope Francis.
00:16Let us honor his memory by learning from his teachings
00:22and following his example of Christian life.
00:28Earlier in the day, the pews were full.
00:30There was a large congregation as people celebrated Mass
00:33and celebrated the life of Pope Francis.
00:36This was a similar scene in churches across the country.
00:39Now, in a nation of 85 million Catholics,
00:43most popes are fairly popular,
00:46but it's clear, talking to worshippers here,
00:49that this pontiff, Pope Francis,
00:52really resonated with the people here.
00:54As someone who's religious,
00:56I definitely feel I grieve and I'm mourning him.
01:01I feel that it's like we've lost an important person
01:05at the same time, a person that a lot of people looked up to,
01:09and he was a person that gave a lot of people hope.
01:12Pope Francis, also known here as Lolo Kiko,
01:15really showed us that there is always a place for mercy
01:19and compassion throughout the Catholic Church.
01:22That the Catholic Church is a face of mercy.
01:25It's a face of mercy of Jesus and the compassion of the God.
01:29It's not as though in recent years,
01:31the church here in the Philippines has been immune to scandal.
01:34Like in other countries,
01:36there has been clergy child sex abuse scandals.
01:39There have been times here when the church is at odds with political leaders
01:43about certain programs and policies,
01:46things like the war on drugs.
01:48But nobody is really talking about any of that.
01:51Upon Pope Francis's death,
01:53people basically have the same message that in the Philippines
01:57he was seen as a unifier.
01:59And particularly because of his constant focus on the poor and the vulnerable,
02:05that really struck a chord in this country.