Posted January 5, 2015 by Ian Benedict Mia

For some, the arrival of Pope Francis is one way for them to recharge their faith life. For others, it’s simply an opportunity for them to meet and take photos of the pope. But in a collective sense, what does it mean for us now that the highest official of the Catholic Church is visiting our country?

Following the theme of “Mercy and Compassion,” the main purpose of the pope’s visit to the Philippines is to check on the condition of the communities devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda, which resulted to approximately 6,300 deaths and 90 billion pesos worth of damage. It does not end there, because the basic necessities of the people were wiped out as well. It was reported several times in social media on how the people in Tacloban and other areas also had issues on mental health, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder. This is where psychology comes in, which until now is not recognized much by Filipinos.

Unknown by many, Pope Francis holds a masters degree in chemistry, and previously taught literature, philosophy, psychology and theology. With that, he was well-educated both in the strict discipline of the sciences and the free thinking involved in liberal arts. This type of education gave him the edge to function as a different kind of pope compared to the previous ones the Catholic Church had. Without a doubt, Pope Francis was not our traditional or usual pope, because he was open to the changing world and values the essence of humanity among anything else.

So what do these things about the pope bring for our country? His visit to the Philippines is both a religious and opportune moment for the Filipinos, especially to those devastated by the typhoon. Resolving the mental health issues experienced by our fellowmen in the Eastern Visayas is not an easy task as we see it, but the mere arrival of the pope helps these people cope up. The efforts of the medical teams sent to communities devastated by the typhoon were also not in vain, because they have helped the people cope well with their tragedies through the psychological help they need at that moment.  

Looking at this on a bigger picture, don’t we all have our own mental health issues? This does not come off as something like a mental abnormality or anything like that, but the arrival of the pope is implicitly trying to tell us how we can change our bad habits. Given that the country is blessed to be visited by the pope during the start of 2015, the Filipinos must recognize this as an opportunity to start making changes within themselves. The pope is not here to financially aid or instantly provide our needs, what he offers is his presence and guidance by which the Filipinos can get inspiration from.

People such as the pope, who leads a vast majority of individuals from different races, are seen as influential and able to initiate change. Every word they say is closely monitored by social media, and anything they say that sparks controversy or critical thinking is immediately disseminated to other people. With this power to communicate and be adhered to by many people, any word of inspiration the pope tells our country can instantly keep our hopes up. This is why many people view the visit of the pope as something to recharge our faith life and belief that we can rise from all the problems we have.

The declaration of January 15-19 as special non-working holidays may appear as a blessing for some people, specifically because it’s an opportunity for them to spend some leisure time. But for those religious, it’s a time to meet the pope in person and be inspired by his message to the Filipinos. In any case, it’s a time for the Catholic population to renew their lives for the better and look up to the pope as a driving force to improve and rekindle their ideals for themselves, their loved ones, and the country.