Philippine typhoon victims remember day Pope Francis brought hope

Tacloban, Philippines: Fourteen months after the deadliest storm in Philippine history, Pope Francis stood on a rain swept stage to deliver a message...

Tacloban, Philippines: Fourteen months after the deadliest storm in Philippine history, Pope Francis stood on a rain-swept stage to deliver a message of hope to the battered town of Tacloban.

It was desperately needed, mayor Alfred Romualdez told AFP on Tuesday, a day after the pontiff died in Rome.

Already in his late 70s, the pope had insisted on making the January 2015 trip to the central Philippines despite an approaching storm.

"He didn't have to do that. He didn't have to come here in bad weather. He could have waited for three or four more days," said Romualdez.

Just over a year earlier, Super Typhoon Haiyan had left more than 7,000 people dead or missing after it slammed into Leyte province and the surrounding areas.