My mother-in-law’s personal encounter with the pope

For my mother-in-law Mrs. Elsa Yrastorza Yuzon, flying and soaring in the skies is part of her normal routine. But it reached new heights when Pope Francis boarded Shepherd One. For someone who has been flying for 35 years as a flight attendant and eventually a purser, my Mommy Elsa just experienced what she calls "the highlight of my career."

And what a career it has been. She has been to several countries and cities like Egypt, America, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bahrain, Pakistan, Paris, Rome, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Beijing, Macau, and London but this month, in a local flight to Tacloban, she was on cloud 9 despite the bad weather.

Many of us dream of having a personal encounter with the Pope. Several people said that simply seeing him on television or in my case hearing him on the radio was enough to touch hearts. I was extremely excited and happy for Mommy Elsa as she shared her own story with the beloved Pope Francis.



On the PAL flight from Manila to Tacloban, Mommy Elsa kissed Pope Francis' ring as a sign of respect. She started a short exchange with the Holy Father in Spanish. His eyes lit up when she asked him "Como esta usted?" a respectful way of asking "How are you?" to which he replied "Muy bien!" They chatted for a bit and she expressed her gratitude for his visit to our country. She recalls how he looks you in the eye as you speak. He even transferred seats to be able to sit beside members of the crew. They were all thrilled to have a moment to speak with him.

The Pope was amused to see a whole trolley filled with religious articles, mostly rosaries that the crew asked him to bless. And, of course, I am very happy to receive two of those rosaries from that memorable flight.



Pope Francis was in high spirits as he was on his way to Tacloban to meet our kababayans who are rebuilding their community. I, for one, am very thankful for his thoughtfulness and his willingness to fly through a storm just to celebrate mass there. Images of His Holiness in a simple yellow kapote in solidarity with everyone in Tacloban is not only symbolic but a real lesson in itself. Much like his simple request to receive no special treatment. He asks that he be served the same food as everyone else.

As the Holy Father was celebrating mass with the people of Tacloban, the PAL crew waited in the plane. Mommy Elsa texted me to say that the winds were so strong. They cut their original itinerary but they were able to fly safely back to Manila and despite the turbulence, they didn't feel nervous during the flight.

Meeting Saint John Paul II
It wasn’t actually the first time for Mommy Elsa to see a pope.

She recalls that in the 90s, the PAL crew would bring our native polvoron as pasalubong for Saint John Paul II and his Swiss guards.

Back then, when the PAL crew was in the Vatican, they would prepare early in the morning of Wednesday to be part of the papal audience before they boarded the plane for their evening flight. They would be tired but would be energized to see the pope who knew where their group was because of their orange uniform.

But her encounter with Pope Francis was close to her heart. Her interaction may have been simple, but it was lasting.

Lessons from the Pope’s visit

Mercy and compassion, this is the theme of the Holy Father's trip.  I am struck the most by what he shared in UST during the youth encounter. I feel that there is a certain kind of compassion that is asked of us. It isn't easy because it asks us to be emotionally invested because it isn't enough to merely give people a helping hand. As the Pope said "... we don’t understand much about these people in need. Certain realities of life we only see through eyes cleansed by our tears."  And because he does lead by example, he did this by bravely by flying through a storm to be with people who survived Typhoon Yolanda.

It’s nice to take comfort in the fact that Pope Francis was able to change people’s hearts. For me, it’s one that’s now full of gratitude. I now salute my mother-in-law and many others from our own community who, in their own ways, helped make the pope’s visit extra meaningful; all these people whose hard work helped bring the Pope to Quirino Grandstand, the streets of Manila and all the way to Tacloban.