Crowds now flocking for Pope Francis activity at SM MOA

Mall of Asia Arena

MANILA — Crowds, mostly with Roman Catholic backgrounds, have started trooping to the SM Mall Of Asia (MOA) in Pasay very early in the morning in a bid to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis who is expected to meet with Filipino families at 5:30 p.m. Friday.

As early as 4:00 a.m. devotees, clad in shirts printed with “Mercy and Compassion” have started converging on entry points leading to the SM MOA, in efforts to beat the traffic and expected long lines.

Security volunteers and police officers were very early in the scene, to ensure that noting untoward will happen in the MOA event.

As of 11:30 a.m., crowd lining near the SM MOA Arena, where Pope Francis will conduct his meeting with Filipino families, have already hit the 50,000 mark, excluding those still on board their vehicles, waiting for parking slots.