Millions Warmly Greet 'Santo Papa' Francis In Philippines As 5-Day Mercy And Compassion Visit Commences

Church bells rang throughout the Philippines as millions of Filipinos joyfully greeted the arrival of Pope Francis on Thursday evening with people from all walks of life lining the streets of Manila while the rest watched the historic event unfold on live television.

Cheers of "Mabuhay, Santo Papa!" (literally meaning "long live, saint pope") " filled the airwaves and the sea of humanity on the streets as the third biggest Catholic nation in the world with a population of 100 million, including 70 million Catholics, welcomed a radiantly beaming Pope as he stepped on Philippine soil for the first time after disembarking from a Sri Lankan airliner that landed at an air force base near the Philippine capital. Pope Francis is on a five-day pastoral visit to the Philippines to bring the message of mercy and compassion to millions of poor Filipinos suffering from the effects of corruption, decades-old insurgencies and natural calamities.

Breaking protocol, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III led government officials and church dignitaries in warmly welcoming the Pope as soon as he arrived. Amid heightened security concerns on the Pope's safety, Aquino himself had volunteered to serve as Pope Francis' "personal bodyguard," according to a presidential aide.

In a televised address on Monday, Aquino appealed to Filipinos all wanting to get a glimpse of the Pope to follow security rules and not be swayed too much by their religious fervor. On Friday, two people were killed during a stampede that marred a religious procession.

On Wednesday, Aquino personally inspected the Pope's motorcade routes and public venues, which were lined with concrete barriers topped by thick wire mesh for crowd control.

The Philippine police were on high alert mindful of attacks made against two of Pope Francis' predecessors during separate visits in the past. In 1970, a Bolivian artist wearing a priest garb tried to stab Pope Paul VI when he arrived at the airport. The pope suffered minor chest wounds from that attack. Then in 1995, a group of Islamist militants, including the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, tried to assassinate Pope John Paul II in Manila. Fortunately, the terrorist plot was accidentally discovered by the police days before the papal visit.

As the police and military launched one of the biggest security operations in the Philippines, the Vatican denied Italian newspaper reports that U.S. and Israeli intelligence officials had informed the Vatican that there could be an imminent attack on the Pope in Manila by Islamist militants.

Pope Francis addressed the security issue aboard the plane after it left Colombo, which was the first leg of his Asian visit, on the way to Manila. Asked by reporters if he felt secure from a possible assassination attempt, the Pope said he worries more about the safety of people around him than his own self. But he quickly added that he felt security measures adopted for his trip were adequate.

Speaking candidly, the Pope said he does not fear death. "I am in God's hands," he said. But "if anything should happen to me, I have told the Lord, I ask you only to give me the grace that it doesn't hurt because I am not courageous when confronted with pain. I am very timid," he jokingly added.

On Saturday, the Pope will fly to Tacloban City, Leyte province, whose people are still struggling to recover from Typhoon Haiyan that killed 6,300 people in 2013. There, Pope Francis will hold an open-air mass to be attended by an expected two million people.

On Sunday, the Pope will fly back to Manila to hold another open-air mass at the Rizal park where an expected six million people are expected to attend.

The Philippine government has declared a three-day public holiday to clear traffic in Manila, a city of 12 million people, and has even closed the financial markets.