It was probably the largest papal Mass in history. On Sunday, an estimated six million Filipinos went to Manila to witness Pope Francis celebrate communion – the crowning event of an astonishing tour. Over four days, His Holiness condemned corruption, visited a slum, and said Mass in a yellow cagoule, lashed by the driving rain. “I saw God in his eyes,” said one 13-year-old boy.
The success of the Philippines “show” tells us two things. First, that outside Western Europe a lot of people still believe in God. Here, we tend to regard religion as passé – something they did centuries ago, when unenlightened Europeans took the advice of burning bushes. But out beyond the EU, millions of people stubbornly continue to put their faith in the Almighty. The West may enjoy comparative power and wealth, but our attachment to secular liberalism is a minority opinion.
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