Pope Francis meets with Cardinal Tagle, Pontifical Filipino College personnel

Pope Francis has granted an audience with the resident priests, religious nuns, and lay staff members of the Pontificio Collegio Filippino in Rome on Monday, March 22 (Manila time), according to the report posted on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website.

The Pontiff was accompanied by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

The meeting at the Sala Clementina Audience Hall in Vatican City was in connection with the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the college.

The gifts given to Pope Francis include a hand-made hat and bag made from bariw, a local grass and buri, a palm leaf, with black wood.

According to a post on the Pontificio Collegio Filippino website, the hand-made products come from the town of Pandan in the Province of Antique with the dedication,  “To: Pope Francis. With Love from: Pandan Antique Philippines.”

Pope Francis, less than a week ago, led a Mass aimed as part of the celebration of the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines.

Filipino secular diocesan priests are sent to the college by bishops for further training and study in Rome. -- BAP, GMA News