Pope Francis on his way to the Philippines

Pope Francis’ visit in Israel (Photo courtesy of Israel’s Foreign Ministry – Digital Diplomacy Team / Twitter)

MANILA — Pope Francis is now on his way to the Philippines for a 5-day state and pastoral visit.

After spending three days in Sri Lanka as the first leg of his Asian tour, His Holiness departed via Sri Lankan Airlined at 11:50 AM (Manila time) and is expected to arrive at Villamor Airbase at around 6:00 PM (Manila time).

All concerned agencies from the government and the Philippine Catholic community are already prepared for the Pope’s arrival. Several roads have been closed to the public as of posting.

The Apostolic Nunciature in Quirino Avenue, Manila–where the Pope will be staying during his visit–has been prepared for weeks.

This is the third time that the Leader of the Catholic Church visited the country, after Pope Paul VI in 1970s and Pope John Paul II in 1995.