Period of nat'l mourning declared for Pope Francis

BBM, Liza flying to Vatican for pontiff's funeral

- By HELEN FLORES

President Marcos has issued a proclamation declaring a period of national mourning over the passing of Pope Francis.

Proclamation 871, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin yesterday, declared a period of national mourning effective immediately until the late pope's burial on Saturday.

During the period of mourning, the national flag shall be flown at half-mast from sunrise to sunset in all government buildings and installations throughout the Philippines and abroad.

"Pope Francis holds a special place in the hearts of the Filipino people, particularly for his apostolic visit to the Philippines in January 2015, where he offered comfort and solidarity to victims of Typhoon Yolanda and celebrated the resilience of the Filipino faithful despite adversities," the proclamation read.

According to Marcos, the pope's passing is a moment of profound sorrow for the Catholic Church and for the Filipino people, who recognize him as a global leader of compassion and a tireless advocate of peace, justice and human dignity.

A large majority of Filipinos are Catholics.

Francis served as the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church from March 13, 2013 until his passing on Easter Monday, April 21. He was 88.

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Francis was the first Jesuit, first Latin American and first non-European pontiff in over 1,200 years.

Meanwhile, Malacañang confirmed that President Marcos and First Lady Liza Marcos would attend the funeral of Pope Francis, with travel details yet to be provided by the Palace.