Manila: Pope Francis will visit the Philippines from January 15 to 19, 2015, the Catholic Church has announced.

Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto, the Papal nuncio, or permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to the Philippines, described the trip to the storm-battered country as a “typhoon of spiritual renewal”.

In a press briefing in Manila on Tuesday, Archbishop Pinto said the papal visit was meant to be an occasion of renewal of faith for Filipinos.

“My wish is that this visit will be a spiritual typhoon,” Pinto stressed.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) had earlier said that the central theme of the papal visit was “mercy and compassion”.

The four-day visit by the 77-year-old Pontiff will be made nearly nine months after the country was battered by typhoon Haiyan (Known in the Philippines as “Yolanda”).

Filipinos have a special place in the heart of every Pope. The Philippines is the biggest Catholic country in Southeast Asia.

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, during the same press briefing said: “I was a witness to how Pope Francis was affected by the typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). Let us show Pope Francis who we really are as Filipinos.”

Typhoon Haiyan slammed the Visayan Islands in Central Philippines’ on November 8, 2013 and claimed the lives of more than 6,300 people. It caused massive damage across the region, affecting some 21 million Filipinos. It has been considered as one of the most destructive storms to hit the country.

Pope Francis was reportedly aghast over the devastation wreaked by the typhoon, with his spokespersons announcing last month that he will visit the affected areas.

The Philippine government has said it is making necessary preparations for the papal visit, particularly security aspects of the trip.

“We are working closely with the papal visit committee,” Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr.

The Philippines has a population of more than 100 million, the majority of whom are Catholics.

Millions of Filipinos from all across the country had been looking forward to the visit by the Pope. The last visit by a Pope to the Philippines was by then Pope John Paul II, in 1995.

Pope Francis’s trip to the Philippines was announced in January this year by Cardinal Robert Sarah, President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, the Catholic body in charge of charity works.

Like several countries and non-governmental organisations that answered the Philippines’ call for assistance immediately after Haiyan wreaked havoc last November 8, 2013, the Catholic Church mobilised its resources to help out the affected communities.

The Philippines is battered by at least 20 typhoons every year, as well as earthquakes.