ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Lifestyle devider Parenting devider In photos: The highlights of Pope Francis' 2015 Philippine visit

In photos: The highlights of Pope Francis' 2015 Philippine visit

From his Eucharistic Mass at Luneta to his time in Tacloban, here are some highlights from the Pontiff's visit, as captured in the pages of the Manila Bulletin.

Published Apr 21, 2025 10:29 am

Pope Francis, the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church and the first pontiff from Latin America, passed away peacefully in the Vatican early this morning at the age of 88. The Vatican confirmed his death in an official statement, noting that he died surrounded by close aides and in the presence of prayer.

491000299_978861577345092_7636956884979460488_n.jpg
Photo by Mark Balmores/The Manila Bulletin

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, the Pontiff captured the hearts of countless devotees—many of them Filipinos. That’s why, in January 2015, Filipinos went all out to see and hear Pope Francis during his first visit to the country. As “The Exponent of Philippine Progress,” the Manila Bulletin followed him wherever he went, chronicling the inspiring moments of his five-day visit.

Day 1: Jan. 15, 2015
Former President Benigno Aquino III, together with nine-year-old Lanie Ortillo, welcomed Pope Francis at Villamor Airbase.

491006925_1388483132572409_2960484001587164914_n.jpg
The Manila Bulletin Jan. 16, 2015 front page

Day 2: Jan. 16, 2015
Pope Francis visits Malacañan Palace.

482841853_1230011645308632_1302560193121498407_n.jpg
The Manila Bulletin Jan. 17, 2015 front page

Pope Francis waves at the crowd from the Popemobile on his way to Manila Cathedral.

483163583_539703859180962_7245036567113554364_n.jpg
The Manila Bulletin - Papal Visit 2015 issue, Jan. 17, 2015

Filipino prelate Luis Antonio Tagle with the Pontiff during a Mass at Manila Cathedral.

490741697_2928891783935981_6399290757240612952_n.jpg
The Manila Bulletin - Papal Visit 2015 issue, Jan. 17, 2015

Day 3: Jan. 17, 2015
Pope Francis steps down from a Philippine Airlines plane to visit the survivors of Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban, Leyte.

486327364_720429323673120_8982156641298763751_n.jpg
The Manila Bulletin Jan. 18, 2015 front page
491276952_1189046892400396_7109261892761295028_n.jpg
The Manila Bulletin - Visayas News section. Jan. 18, 2015

“I will walk with you all with my heart… I have no words to tell you,” Pope Francis said. “Let us look to Christ. He is the Lord. He understands us because He underwent all the trials that we have experienced.”

Day 4: Jan. 18, 2015
Around six million people attend Pope Francis’ Eucharistic Mass at Luneta.

491007245_10071162789584137_1139192720311227279_n.jpg
The Manila Bulletin - Papal Visit 2015 issue, Jan. 17, 2015

Day 5: Jan. 19, 2015
Pope Francis walks up the ramp to board a Philippine Airlines direct flight to Rome.

491010690_679198455057306_974204456900717505_n.jpg
The Manila Bulletin Jan. 20, 2015 front page

Rest in paradise, Pope Francis.

Related Tags

Family and Leisure Pope Francis
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.