Following this morning’s Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Manila, Pope Francis made an unscheduled visit to a center run by the Anak-Tnk foundation, an organization founded in 1988 by a Jesuit priest, which cares for abandoned children.
A group of 300 children were there to greet the Pope; many of them were saved from prostitution and drugs. According to La Stampa, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle sent the Holy Father thousands of letters written by street children who asked the Pope to visit them.
The Pope spent some time with the children and posed for photos with them as well.
During today’s meeting of families at the Mall of Asia Arena, the 78-year-old Pontiff spoke about his visit to the shelter and meeting with the children, saying that he was “very moved.”
He also took a moment to praise those working at the shelter in caring for the abandoned children.
“How many people in the Church work to make that house a home, a family,” he said. “This is what it means to take forward prophetically the mission of the family.”
