THE RAIN dampened the UST grounds, but not the spirit of those who were witnessing the historic visit of a charismatic pope who made them feel that God is not an abstract concept but Someone who is merciful even to those neglected by society.
During that festive moment, a 13-year-old girl in a pink dress stood out—her hand clasped by the pope, like a granddaughter bonding with her affectionate grandfather who went out of his way to see her.
Angela Calingo, then a junior high school student at the University, had been chosen to join a choir performance of “Tell the World of His Love” in front of a sea of rain-soaked faces eager to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis during his 2015 visit to UST.
As the music filled the drizzle-drenched field, Calingo moved her left hand in sync on stage with the other children, following the rehearsed choreography.
Her right hand, however, slipped from the motions and was claimed instead not by another performer, but by the pope’s gentle grasp.
A decade later, Calingo, now a 23-year-old freshman at the UST Faculty of Civil Law, looks back on the moment with a sense of awe and gratitude.
“The particular moment that I can distinctly remember was the fact that he (Francis) initiated holding my [hand] during the entire performance,” Calingo told The Flame.
From what she recalled, the children had been instructed to hold hands only by the end of the performance, but Francis reached for her early and held it through every note before finally lifting it high in a crescendo of togetherness and drawing her into a hug.
“I was left speechless when he grabbed [my hand] instantly and he didn’t let go the entire time,” she said.
The gesture, captured on national television and widely shared online, marked one of the more personal moments of Francis during his apostolic journey in the Philippines.
Calingo described feeling at peace and comforted despite not exchanging words with the pope.
“His presence alone was enough to make one feel so loved and cherished,” she added.
‘A metaphorical armor’
To Calingo, the memory of Francis’ visit is not just a fleeting recollection but has since served as a constant source of spiritual guidance and inspiration.
When news of the pope’s death broke, Calingo found the video of the moment resurfacing on social media, stirring a bittersweet mix of grief and gratitude.
“His presence has truly guided me spiritually into where I am now and I know it will last for a lifetime,” Calingo said.
“He truly made an impact in the Philippines and I won’t deny the same for my part because it is very evident that his heart was pure and genuine.”
Calingo, a Legal Management alumna, considers the encounter her “metaphorical armor” when facing personal struggles.
“Growing up, the fact that I had that kind of experience up my sleeve really became a metaphorical armor for every challenge I had to overcome,” she said.
Looking back on how it all started, Calingo remembered being simply invited to the office along with other possible youth representatives, unaware that the selection was for an extraordinary, in the truest sense, once-in-a-lifetime encounter.
“The only thing we had to do was to smile at that time and they selected one boy and one girl, and the rest was history,” she said.
Today, as a law student grounded in her Thomasian values, Calingo credited the encounter and Francis’ teachings for her firm belief in “progressive” leadership rooted in faith — a model she now seeks to emulate as she pursues a legal career.
“Because he was known to be a pope with a progressive outlook, ever since that moment, I had already viewed myself as someone who can do the same with the opportunities and experiences that I will experience from that point on,” she said.
Recalling how Francis always emphasized serving the marginalized, Calingo said she constantly reminds herself that legal practice should not merely rely on rigid technicalities.
“Neglected and underrepresented sectors in society will often be prejudiced for their lack of access to an efficient justice system,” the civil law freshman said.
“As I pursue this degree, I will always make myself remember that despite technicalities and strict enforcement of the laws, it is necessary to delve deeper into one’s conscience and be guided by it.”
Francis’ 12-year papacy was characterized by major reforms, such as reorganizing the dicasteries or ministries of the Church’s administrative body by expanding the participation of lay people.
“His inclusive thinking and leadership will truly affect almost, if not everyone, from this point on, despite the differences in age, nationality, status in life and even religion. He was truly the people’s pope,” Calingo said.
Woman of faith meets the pope
“[It was] like you’ve touched a saint.”
This was how UST Dean Emeritus Prof. Lilian de Jesus Sison described her encounter with Francis in 2015, a moment she still recalls as a spiritual experience that left an indelible mark.
The memory of the late pontiff holding her hand, which at the time cradled an icon of the Santo Niño, continues to stir something sacred in her.
“I felt his palm on my hand, and it was almost like a caress. So I really didn’t mind what was happening in the environment at the time because I was also focused on the pope,” Sison told The Flame.
Sison, then director of the Office of International Relations, was among the UST officials who met Francis during his apostolic visit to the University. She was also the only woman of faith selected by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and the Vatican to meet the pope during his visit to the country.
“The first thing that struck me is that he is a very attentive listener, and he is so focused on you because you are there in front of him, as if you are the only person in the world for him. And at that time, you begin to feel the warmth and his tenderness,” Sison said.
The former Graduate School dean recalled that Francis had briefly thanked her for her service as secretary general of the Religions for Peace – Philippines and chair of the Asia Pacific Women of Faith Network.
“I know that he said it so sincerely and it gave my resolve. It gave me a resolve to continue working for inter-religious dialogue because he placed so much importance [on] it [during] his papacy,” she said.
Sison’s groups organized multi-faith action programs and capacity-building projects on mental health and trauma healing for women, internally displaced youth and soldiers in the conflict areas of Central Mindanao. They also implemented child protection programs in partnership with faith-based communities and held interfaith forums and conferences at both national and international levels.
Sison reflected on how Francis’ message about the “globalization of indifference” or the call to combat apathy reshaped her approach to advocacy.
“I have been involved in advocacy to look at some social issues, because Pope Francis said that basically the problem today is the globalization of indifference. Meaning to say, you and I are indifferent to the plight of the poor, or even probably the problem with the environment and climate change,” she said.
The pope’s call to break free from indifference aligned directly with the values of Religions for Peace as well as her ongoing efforts to advocate for climate change awareness and women’s rights, she said.
“It’s not only you and I, it’s also people from other places, from other countries,” she said.
“If we want human society to flourish, we have to do something about certain injustices that are taking place.”
With the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics now being led by Pope Leo XIV, hopes are high that Francis’ inclusive reforms would be carried forward.
During his first appearance as pope at the center balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo, the first American and Augustinian pontiff, called for the building of bridges through dialogue. His election coincided with the celebration of the Jubilee Year 2025, a period of reconciliation, solidarity, hope and justice, that carries the theme “Pilgrims of Hope.”
“I think the choice of the pope is always tuned to the context of the times,” Sison said. F — with reports from Anna Victoria Asuncion
