(Updated 4:20 p.m.) A Jesuit priest in Cebu is now the bearer of a replica of the necklace worn by Pope Francis, depicting Jesus Christ carrying a lost sheep.

 

The replica necklace, dubbed the "Good Shepherd Cross" or "Pope Francis Cross," was given by the Pope to Fr. Benjamin Sim, GMA Cebu's Alan Domingo reported Tuesday.

 

Sim, the head of the Jesuit community in Cebu, had received the replica in the Vatican, the report said.

 

He also showed GMA News a letter of reply from the Pope to his request to pray for fishermen in Northern Cebu affected by super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013.

 

Yolanda devastated the Visayas and left more than 6,300 dead in November 2013.

 

Meanwhile, the Jesuit community is now praying for the pope's safety during his visit.

 

Sim also voiced hopes the pope could still visit Cebu - if not during his present visit, at least next year during the International Eucharistic Congress. — Joel Locsin/VC, GMA News