No Asian nation is more Catholic than the Philippines.
It should be no surprise then that many Filipino Americans have traveled cross country to see the Pope in Washington, D.C. and New York City.
Filipino nurse Nenita Aure told ABS CBN she booked her ticket from Santa Ana to Washington, D.C. six months ago for this trip.
“We are the one that are blessed and we should share it with other people,” said Aure. She says the Pope’s message of “love for the poor, and the underprivileged” really resonates with her.
“I think the Pope will make an effort and try to get Catholics come back to the Church because unfortunately quite a big number of Catholics have really stopped practicing as Catholics,” said Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. José Cuisia Jr. “I think the Pope will make a terrific impact in trying to get these Catholics back to practicing the faith.”
Among those going to see the Pope are 100 women marching from Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C. Their goal is not only to see the Pope, but to bring attention to the plight of immigrants.
Members of the Pilipino Worker Center in Southern California are among those in the group.
You can hear about their motivation for taking part in the trip in the clip below.
