UST mourns Pope Francis’ death, remembers his deep ties with Thomasians

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Pope Francis visited the Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas in 2015, addressing more than 24,000 youth representatives at the university’s grandstand

MANILA, Philippines – The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas (UST) mourned the death of Pope Francis on Monday, April 21.

“In mercy and compassion, he led the Church with a heart like Christ’s. We mourn the passing of Pope Francis, whose life was a testament to love, humility, and grace. We pray for the eternal repose of the soul of Pope Francis, our Lolo Kiko. He led the Church with a heart like that of Christ,” UST, the oldest university in the Philippines, said in a statement.

“Eternal rest grant unto Pope Francis, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace,” it added.

The Dominican-run university also paid tribute to the Pope’s “memorable connection” with the Thomasian community.

Pope Francis visited UST in 2015, addressing more than 24,000 youth representatives at the university’s grandstand.

Like other Thomasians, he holds a UST ID — numbered 16112015-001 — bearing his full name, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, with a title of “administration.” 1611 signifies the founding year of UST and 2015 marks the year of Francis’ visit in the Philippines.

THOMASIAN ID. The University of Santo Tomas issues an ID to Pope Francis on January 18, 2015.

During his 2015 Philippine visit, Pope Francis also visited Tacloban City, which was devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in November 2013.

In a video message on October 18, 2013, Pope Francis, who typically speaks Italian, also delivered his first-ever English speech during the Philippine Conference on New Evangelization held at UST.

UST’s ties with the Vatican

UST has strong ties with the Vatican. UST was declared a “Pontifical University” by Pope Leo XIII on September 17, 1902.

In 1947, Pope Pius XII further honored the institution by naming it “The Catholic University of the Philippines.” It is the second university in the world — after the Gregorian University in Rome — to receive the formal designation of Pontifical University.

Aside from Francis, Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II also visited UST during their papacy.

Pope Paul VI was the first to set foot on its grounds on November 28, 1970. Pope John Paul II followed, visiting on February 18, 1981, and again on January 13, 1995, during the International Youth Forum held in connection with World Youth Day. – Rappler.com