Scottish Catholic Observer

Pope Francis told the largest Papal Mass congregation ever gathered that all Catholics must protect the family ‘against insidious attacks and programmes contrary to all that we hold true and sacred, all that is most beautiful and noble in our culture.’

At least 6 million gathered in Rizal Park, Manila, last Sunday to attend the final event of the Holy Father’s trip to the Philippines at which his homily reprised several other themes he had explored during the four-day visit, including environmental problems, poverty and corruption.

Despite continuous rain, the congregation began to assemble the night before the afternoon Mass. The crowd was so dense in spots that people passed hosts to fellow worshippers unable to reach priests distributing Communion.

The government estimated total crowd size at 6 million-7 million people. According to the Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi that would be the largest number of people ever to gather to see a Pope. A Mass with St John Paul II in the same place 20 years earlier is believed to have drawn 4 million-5 million people, often described as the largest live crowd in history.

—[email protected]

—Read the full version of this story in January 23 edition of the SCO in parishes.