Pope finishes Asian tour after huge, rain-soaked Mass in Manila

Pope Francis boards his plane at Villamor Airbase, south of Manila, Philippines, 19 January 2015. - EPA/DENNIS M. SABANGAN

MANILA (Reuters) - Pope Francis left the Philippines on Monday, ending a week-long trip to Asia that culminated with a rain-soaked Mass for about seven million people in the capital of Asia's most populous Catholic nation, the largest-ever crowd for a papal event.

Vatican officials have said between six million and seven million people attended Sunday's Mass in Manila's Rizal Park and surrounding areas, eclipsing the roughly five million worshippers who flocked to a Mass by Pope John Paul in the same park 20 years ago.