The head of the Roman Catholic church, Pope Francis landed at Villamor airbase in the Philippines on Thursday (January 15) where more than 80 percent of the people are Catholic.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino welcomed Pope Francis along with 12 of his cabinet members.
Pope Francis returns to Asia for the second time in less than six months, first travelling to Sri Lanka and now the Philippines to underscore his concern for inter-religious dialogue, poverty and the environment.