IN PHOTOS: Pope Francis’ gifts to the Archdiocese of Palo

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The artifacts, now in the possession of the Archdiocese of Palo, will forever bind the memories of faith of the people of Leyte and Pope Francis

LEYTE, Philippines – As the world prepared for the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday, April 26, the Archdiocese of Palo presented before Catholics some “precious artifacts” left behind by the beloved head of the Vatican from his 2015 visit to Leyte.

On January 17, 2015, the Pope arrived in Tacloban City, Leyte and held mass at the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport, where thousands of residents braved strong winds and rain just to attend the momentous event.

It was on that same day that the Pope visited the Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lord’s Transfiguration in Palo town and met with survivors of the Super Typhoon Yolanda and the 2013 Bohol Earthquake at the Palo Archbishop’s Palace.

Besides his loving presence, Pope Francis left the archdiocese with religious items from Rome. Many of these gifts now possess a strong, sentimental bond with the people of Leyte and its clergymen.

Among them is a mosaic replica of the Marian icon “Madonna del Popolo” (Our Lady of the People). The original image is enshrined at the Pauline Chapel in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome.

“This image is significant because this is a favorite Marian image of the Holy Father,” Palo Archdiocese Vicar General Monsignor Gilbert Urbina said during a mass dedicated to Pope Francis.

MARY. The Pope’s favorite Marian image done in mosaic.

According to the vicar general, the Pope would visit the Basilica of Saint Mary Major every time to pray to the Marian image before leaving Rome on a pastoral visit to other places.

The Pope is now entombed in the Basilica, his chosen resting place.

Along with the mosaic replica that the Pope gave to the archdiocese is a chalice from the papal inventory, which the Palo cathedral uses during special ceremonies and events.

HOLY GRAIL. The holy chalice is a symbolic relic that represents the vessel used by Jesus Christ during the Last Supper to share his blood.

The cathedral also kept the tableware that Pope Francis used when he shared a meal with the survivors of the disasters and heads of the local Catholic community.

RELICS. The exact tableware set used by Pope Francis when he had his meal with the families of survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda and the 2013 Bohol Earthquake.

Another unique item that the cathedral takes care of is the Pope’s zucchetto or his white skullcap that he left behind during his trip to Leyte.

Ecclesiastical dignitaries often gift their zucchetto to the faithful as a keepsake—a long-standing tradition passed from Pope Pius XII to Pope Francis.

KEEPSAKE. The zucchetto’s color depicts the office held by the wearer and in this case, white is worn by the head of the Vatican.

“Yolanda struck us November 2013 and the following month, December, Christmas time, when the cathedral was still roofless, [Pope Francis] sent the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop [Giuseppe] Pinto to come and celebrate the Christmas midnight mass…and he brought with him this replica of the infant Jesus,” Urbina said.

Urbina highlighted the fact that the replica of the image of the baby Christ is from Rome and was made with high-quality resin.

CHILD CHRIST. The image of the infant Jesus Christ from Rome is used by the Palo archdiocese during Christmas and other relevant religious celebrations.

“All these will remain in the cathedral until the end of the Novemdiales—the nine-day prayer for the eternal repose of the holy father, until next week, and upon the election of a new holy father,” the vicar general added. – Rappler.com