MANILA, Philippines — Still acclimating to the heat and humidity after his arrival in the Philippines, Pope Francis paid a quick visit to Manila Adventist Medical Center (better known as Manila Sanitarium) in the Pasay district of Metro Manila.
“This is probably unnecessary but we want to take every precaution as Pope Francis is 78 years old and the tropical heat can be a bit of an adjustment,” said a papal aide at a busy press briefing in the hospital’s lobby.
Physicians at Manila Sanitarium gave Pope Francis a clean bill of health after which delegations from the hospital administration; Adventist University of the Philippines and the nearby Adventist International Institute of Adventist Studies (AIIAS) took the pope on a quick tour of the hospital facilities. “We had the day off anyway so we thought we’d be polite,” said AIIAS Public Relations Director, Romero Santacruz, explaining his delegation’s presence.
Pope Francis expressed his gratitude for the hospitality of the Adventist welcoming party. “I always feel safer with an Adventist hospital nearby,” he joked. The Catholic leader reserved his highest praise for the tasty vegetarian food at the Manila Sanitarium cafeteria. “This food is delicious,” he said, touching his fingers to his lips. “You may even convince an old Argentine to go vegetarian!”
Many thanks to an anonymous reader for the story idea
Additional thanks to Ang Malaya Net, a Philippine news site for their spot-on news coverage: Pope Francis gets medical checkup at an Adventist Medical Center in Manila – not true
Quick Reminder for the Comment Section: Every post on BarelyAdventist is satirical. As in, the news story you just read was not literally real. The “satrically Adventist” tag and the “About” section make that abundantly clear. This blog is written by committed Adventists that believe that humor, satire and symbolism are great ways to discuss Adventist faith, culture and other issues. This it not a place for hotheads. Rude, judgmental comments or other attacks will be deleted. On the other hand, if you feel you can contribute to the discussion in a constructive and friendly “inside voice”, then have at it!
