Pope Francis Arrives in the Philippines
Speaks to reporters aboard the papal plane.
After a flight of nearly six hours, Pope Francis arrived at Villamor Air Base in Manila at 5.35pm local time today, where he was welcomed by the country's President, Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III. After the national anthems and presentation of their respective delegations, the Pope was driven to the apostolic nunciature.
Francis gave no discourses today, but he did speak to reporters on the papal plane, during which he referred to the recent terrorist attacks in Paris. "You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith," the Pope said. If you do, he said, you "can expect a punch."
"Every religion has dignity, every religion that respects human life and the human person and I cannot make fun of it. And this is a limit," he added.
About freedom of religion, he said "You cannot hide the truth. Everyone has the right to practice their religion, their own religion without offending, freely. And that's what we do, what we all want to do."
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Edward Pentin Edward Pentin is the Register’s Senior Contributor and EWTN News Vatican Analyst. He began reporting on the Pope and the Vatican with Vatican Radio before moving on to become the Rome correspondent for EWTN's National Catholic Register. He has also reported on the Holy See and the Catholic Church for a number of other publications including Newsweek, Newsmax, Zenit, The Catholic Herald, and The Holy Land Review, a Franciscan publication specializing in the Church and the Middle East. Edward is the author of The Next Pope: The Leading Cardinal Candidates (Sophia Institute Press, 2020) and The Rigging of a Vatican Synod? An Investigation into Alleged Manipulation at the Extraordinary Synod on the Family (Ignatius Press, 2015). Follow him on Twitter at @edwardpentin.
