CEBU CITY – The world is mourning the death of Pope Francis but the passing of the well-loved pontiff cuts deeper for this Cebuana businesswoman.
BUSINESSWOMAN Fe Mantuhac-Barino (left) is greeted by Pope Francis during their 2017 encounter. (Contributed photo)
As she grieves the death of the pope, Fe Mantuhac-Barino looked back at her close encounters with the 266th leader of the Roman Catholic Church who died last April 21 at the age of 88.
Barino said she had the chance to meet Francis thrice, encounters that she said shaped her life not just as a Catholic but as a staunch advocate to spread the word of God.
Her first encounter with the pope happened in 2015, where she was among the huge crowd when he visited typhoon "Yolanda" survivors in Tacloban City, Leyte.
Her second encounter with Pope Francis happened in Rome in 2017. The second meeting was a more meaningful one.
Barino said she was introduced to the pope with the help of Cebuano Vatican-based Monsignor Jan Thomas Limchua.
It was during the second meeting that Barino was able to share to the pope her advocacy, Surrender to God or "SuGod," a spiritual rehabilitation program for drug dependents and the marginalized.
“It is very important," Barino recalled what Pope Francis told her after learning about the noble advocacy.
Barino said the four words uttered by Pope Francis were more than just encouragement. She said those words were like affirmation that she felt came directly from God.
“I knew then that what I was doing wasn’t just a personal initiative. It was part of a larger mission. I felt God was affirming it through him," Barino said in an interview with reporters.
Barino considers those drug dependents, homeless, and spiritually lost as “the wounded of society."
The second meeting with Francis solidified her commitment to strengthen her advocacy.
Barino met Francis again in 2023, just before joining the international council of Charis, the Vatican body overseeing the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.
Being the chairperson of the Commission on the Laity of the Archdiocese of Cebu, Barino is a staunch supporter of church-related activities.
That was why for Barino, the grief was indescribable when she learned about the Pope's passing. "It felt like losing a spiritual father," she said.
Barino sees Francis’ death not an ending, but a reminder to remain faithful to the mission, to serve with compassion, and to lead always with love. “Even in death, Pope Francis called us to unity and love,” she said.
As the Church begins its search for a new pope, Barino is hoping that the next pontiff would be a Filipino. “We are a people formed by the Church. Having a Filipino pope wouldn’t just be symbolic, it would bring the Church closer to the margins," she said.
Barino said Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, a top Vatican official and former Archbishop of Manila, is someone who could continue Francis' vision of a synodal Church.
She described Tagle as a natural choice, humble, joyful, and deeply pastoral. Barino believes Tagle could continue Pope Francis’ vision of a synodal Church.