MORE THAN a decade ago, thousands of Thomasians stood shoulder to shoulder under overcast skies and an outpour of rain to welcome the leader of the Catholic Church.
For them, it was a defining moment of encounter—one they will carry for the rest of their lives.
Ten years after Pope Francis’ historic visit to UST on Jan. 18, 2015, Thomasians looked back with bittersweet reverence on the life of the late pontiff, who passed away on Easter Monday, April 21.
Although years have passed since he walked the rain-soaked grounds of the pontifical university, the impact of Francis’ 12-year papacy on those who met him remains vivid and personal.
The 88-year-old Argentine pope’s engagements at the University formed part of his five-day apostolic journey to the Philippines, during which he met with religious leaders at the Arch of the Centuries and stood before a sea of over 24,000 devotees at the UST open field.
Face-to-face with the pope
Among those who carry Francis’ memory most dearly is Rikki Macolor, a UST Engineering alumnus who was one of the four people chosen to speak publicly to the pope during his visit.
A Filipino innovator known for developing a portable solar night light for survivors of typhoon Yolanda in 2013, Macolor said the encounter with Francis changed how he viewed his mission.
“It was during that moment that he responded to my message saying, ‘You know how to give but you have not yet learned how to receive. Become a beggar. To learn how to receive with humility, to learn how to be evangelized by the poor. Do you know that you too are poor?’” he told The Flame.
Aside from UST, Francis also went to Tacloban City, the area worst hit by the typhoon that claimed more than 6,000 lives and damaged some P100 billion worth of properties. The late pope encouraged at least 200,000 people during an outdoor mass to remain courageous despite their difficulties.
Macolor said meeting Francis has changed his perspective from “just giving to genuinely serving.”
That message, Macolor said, taught him that helping others is inseparable from drawing closer to God. He recalled how Francis’ spontaneity and warmth did not make him feel like he was addressing a world leader, but someone genuinely present and compassionate.
“It was also his spontaneity that, in many ways, humanized his stature as being a pope. That the way he interacts taught me that he truly cared and that we have to always be compassionate no matter who and what we are,” he said.
At present, Macolor, now a senior program manager at Google, still uses the selfie he took with Francis as his profile picture on Facebook.
“Lolo Kiko (Grandpa Francis) showed me the true meaning of unconditional love, transcending social barriers, race and belief. His example continues to inspire me,” he said.
The same kind of transformation happened to then 14-year-old Lorenzo de Castro, who joined the youth delegates from Don Bosco Makati that day. Now a UST Creative Writing junior, de Castro, still remembers every detail—the excitement, the sleepless night on the streets of España Boulevard and the pouring rain that nearly prodded the crowd to go home.
All that exhaustion faded the moment Francis appeared on the LED screens.
“Para bang naging balewala sa’min yung pagkapuyat, at yung mabasa ng ulan, napawi yung mga pagod namin pagkakita pa lang kay Pope Francis na dumaan sa harapan namin,” he said.
(It was as if we didn’t care about staying up late and getting wet in the rain. Our exhaustion was gone as soon as we saw Pope Francis pass by in front of us.)
A brief but unforgettable exchange with a police officer also made his experience unforgettable. Stationed at the front, the officer handed his phone to de Castro and asked him to record the pope’s arrival since he was not allowed to use any device while on duty.
When Francis passed by, the young de Castro, wide-eyed and stunned, made eye contact with the pontiff, who flashed him a thumbs-up. In shock, the teen slowly returned the gesture. Afterward, the officer thanked him and sent the video to his daughter.
“That moment for me was not just meant to be savored alone but to be shared as well to others,” the Creative Writing student said.
Looking back, he believes Pope Francis inspired the youth to embrace a vision of the Church that is inclusive and open.
“Pope Francis, even to His death, has been a constant believer in the will and power of the young people. In our society today, wherein power seems to favor the greedy, the indifference, the unjust and the unmerciful. Pope Francis continues to be [a] reminder that true leadership is best exemplified through humility, mercy, peace, love, service and compassion,” he added.
‘Pastor of walk’
In Balic-Balic, a wooden crucifix has become a quiet but powerful reminder of the pope’s visit. The cross, which was kissed by Francis on stage during the youth encounter, was lent to UST by the Most Holy Trinity Parish.
“Actually, the cross is originally from here, from the parish… we never thought na hahalikan siya ng Santo Papa (we never thought that the pope would kiss it),” Br. Charles Steven Josue, a resident seminarian in the parish, said.
The crucifix was returned to the parish, kept in its gallery of saints and was only brought out on Good Fridays for veneration. But after the pope’s passing, parishioners decided to display it again for public devotion.
“‘Yung cross, hindi na lang siya simpleng alaala na humalik si Pope Francis at bumisita siya. Kundi yung cross parang nagiging pagpaparamdam na kasama ng pamayanan ng Balic-Balic ang Santo Papa… ‘Yan ‘yung one of the biggest treasure ng simbahan namin ngayon.”
(The cross is no longer just a simple memory that Pope Francis kissed and visited. But the cross seems to be a reminder that the pope is with the community of Balic-Balic… That is one of the biggest treasures of our church today.)
Compared to other crucifixes depicting the dead Christ in a more restrained manner, the Jesus in the Balic-Balic image has several bleeding wounds, emphasizing the horrible suffering He had to endure to redeem humanity.
Josue saw Francis four times during the visit, but was unable to enter UST due to the huge crowds. Still, the pope’s presence left a mark on his heart after seeing him along Lacson Street.
“Parang nakikita ko ‘yung santo, parang nakita ko yung mukha ng Diyos. (It’s like seeing a saint, it’s like I saw the face of God).”
Josue, who was 15 years old at the time, was still hesitant to join the seminary during the pope’s visit. But after the encounter, he was inspired to finally enter the priesthood.
“He’s (Francis) not just a simple hierarchy, but he’s really a shepherd among the people. He made us feel Jesus… He seems to be one of the examples of [the] pastors of walk,” he said.
“For me, as a seminarian, as following the Lord, it’s a good example to walk with the people, because you’re not just simply called to celebrate the Eucharist, of course, that is the primordial role to bring the people into worship, but perhaps as priests and seminarians, it is also good to emulate Pope Francis’ pastorship, ‘yung pakikilakad niya, ‘yung pakikiramay (his walking with others… his compassion).”
‘Shared woundedness’
Within the academic circles, Pope Francis’ legacy continues to shape how theology is taught, lived and embodied in the University’s mission.
In the days following the pontiff’s death, the University held mourning ceremonies and masses for his eternal repose, lit up its iconic landmarks and put up exhibits to carry his legacy forward.
UST Institute of Religion assistant director Assoc. Prof. Allan Basas said the pope’s vision of a “culture of encounter” deeply influenced the institute’s work, not just as educators, but as ministers who walk with students.
“The direction that Pope Francis has set for the Church deeply resonates with what we want to happen in the Institute of Religion,” he said.
This influence, Basas said, is most evident in the institute’s Dominican-Thomistic Education by Design, a pedagogical framework that embodies the spirituality and mission of the Order of Preachers as expressed in its motto, “contemplari et contemplata aliis tradere (to contemplate and share the fruits of one’s contemplation).”
“We are all wounded people. Teachers are wounded. Students are wounded. So in our shared woundedness, our culture of encounter should be mediated by Christ’s presence [and] healing,” he added.
According to Basas, theology became more than a subject but a lived experience through his learnings from the pontiff.
“We learned a lot from Pope Francis—how we teach or minister to the students joyfully, how we encounter them in their own context,” Basas said.
Faculty of Sacred Theology Assoc. Prof. Cecilio Vladimir Magboo echoed this sentiment, saying the faculty had made it a mission to reflect the pope’s vision centered on mercy, humility and proximity to the poor since the beginning of his reign.
Francis had dedicated his papacy to helping the poor by making a total of 47 diplomatic trips to visit marginalized Christian communities, converting a Vatican plaza into a homeless shelter, hosting a lunch for over a thousand poor people during the World Day of the Poor, among other initiatives.
Magboo said the pope made theology come alive through action, which, after his passing, also served as a call to action for his faculty.
“It has been our concern to relay and to teach the people what he has been teaching. So, his passing is also for us a signal that maybe we have to continue what he started,” Magboo said.
For him, Francis embodied simplicity and presence, especially through his decision to live in Casa Santa Marta instead of the Apostolic Palace. The pope’s humility was not just symbolic but intentional and radical, he added.
News of the pope’s passing reached his office during a meeting on Easter Monday. Despite knowing his health had declined, the loss still came as a shock.
“We confirmed it… and the first reaction is to pray,” Magboo said.
Cardinals around the world will gather at the Sistine Chapel starting May 7 to elect the late pope’s successor in a secretive process called the conclave. While Catholics eagerly await their next leader, some are convinced that Francis’ successor has big shoes to fill.
“[No one] can replace him as Pope Francis. Of course, we will have a new pope, but he is unique,” Magboo said. F
