By early Sunday morning, the streets surrounding Rizal Park swelled with pilgrims coming from various parts of the country.
Throngs danced and cheered as Pope Francis arrived for an open air Mass in Manila on Sunday — his last full day in the Philippines.
The pope waved, smiled and kissed babies hoisted toward him as he made his way to the venue in an open car.
Earlier: Raincoat-clad Filipinos wave, high-five each other as Pope passes by en route to Luneta Mass. #ShowThePope pic.twitter.com/NP58owntQi
— Katerina Francisco (@kaifrancisco) January 18, 2015
@rapplerdotcom: Bells ring at the Quirino Grandstand. Crowd estimates range from over 3 to 4 million.#PopeFrancisPH https://t.co/5w5aK7TlN9
— ☆Irms Soriano☆ (@ateIrms) January 18, 2015
Pope Francis’ Mass at the Quirino Grandstand is said to be celebrated before a crowd of six million people.
Despite rain from Tropical Storm Amang (Mekkhala), Filipinos continued to gather to the Quirino Grandstand for the biggest Catholic event in the country.
Metro Manila is one of the areas under storm signals due to Amang. PAGASA said the rain over Manila may last until at least Sunday night.
Earlier in the day, the Pope went to the University of Santo Tomas for his encounter with the youth.
The Pope will end his five-day apostolic and state visit on Monday morning, when he departs at the Villamor Air Base for the Vatican.