As much as possible, Pope Francis wants to be with the poor typhoon Yolanda survivors, and not with politicians and other VIPs when he visits the country in January 17 next year.
This was revealed by Palo Archbishop John Du in a Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) News post. The Archdiocese of Palo also assured that they will be fair in choosing the survivors who will share a meal with the Pope.
Fr. Cris Militante, the archdiocese’s media coordinator for the papal visit, said as many as 30 individuals will have the privilege of being the Pope’s lunch mates. Cebu and Bohol, which were devastated by an earthquake a month before Yolanda, are also expected to send representatives to the lunch.