Pope Manila Mass drew record crowd of 6-7 million: Vatican
By Philip Pullella and Rosemarie Francisco MANILA (Reuters) – Pope Francis concluded his trip to Asia on Sunday with an open-air Mass for a rain-drenched crowd in Manila that the Vatican and the government said drew up to seven million people, the largest ever for a papal event. Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the office of the president told the Vatican that between six and seven million attended the Mass in Manila's Rizal Park and surrounding areas. "If this is true, and we think it is, this is the largest event in the history of the popes," he said, noting that Pope John Paul drew some five million to the same area in 1995. The 78-year-old pope, wearing a transparent yellow poncho over his white cassock, was driven through the ecstatic crowd in a "popemobile" modified from a jeepney, the most popular mode of transport in the Philippines which is based on a U.S. military vehicle used in World War II. He stopped often along the route to kiss children and bless religious statues on the day the Philippines celebrates the feast of the infant Jesus.
