On November 27, 1970, the 35-year-old Bolivian painter Benjamin Mendoza dressed as a priest and tried to stab Pope Paul VI in Manila.
He was only lightly stabbed thanks to the prompt reaction of the pope's collaborators and the travel organiser, Msgr. Paul Marcinkus.
Paul VI was the first pope to make pastoral visits abroad and thus the first pontiff to visit the Philippines.
Pope Paul VI's visit was the first Papal visit to the Philippines. John Paul II visited the twice, in 1981 and 1995, when he presided over the WYD.
In 2015, Pope Francis made the forth papal visit to the Philippines. His visit left emotional moments such as the dialogue with former street children.
Christian Campos
