( CNN ) Pope Francis donned a slicker to conduct an outdoor Mass for hundreds of thousands who gathered Saturday morning in the Philippines despite stormy weather . The Mass in Tacloban was shortened because of an approaching typhoon that had sustained winds of 80 mph and higher gusts . A throng gathered at the Tacloban airport to greet the Pope when he arrived at about 9 a.m. local time ( 8 p.m . ET . ) The Mass began nearby about half an hour after he landed . Wind rustled the hood on the pontiff 's slicker as he spoke to a crowd clad in raincoats . Tacloban is still recovering from the 2013 disaster of Super Typhoon Haiyan , described as perhaps the strongest storm ever recorded with 195 mph sustained winds that killed 6,300 people nationwide . Typhoon Mekkhala was upgraded from a tropical storm and should make landfall in the Philippines at about noon , about an hour after the Mass concluded , just northeast of Tacloban , said CNN meteorologist Sean Morris . The forecast track has shifted slightly northward with the center of the storm expected to pass north of Tacloban . Another typhoon was headed for the same general area in the Philippines early Saturday , the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said . Typhoon Mekkhala , which is called Typhoon Amang in the Philippines , was arriving on the island of eastern Samar -- a site about 50 miles from where the Pope was in Tacloban . Just two weeks ago , a tropical storm struck Tacloban and surrounding area , causing a commercial passenger plane to slide off the runway while landing at the Tacloban airport , CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller said . Tropical Storm Jiangmi , renamed Seniang in the Philippines , killed 54 people in landslides and flash floods in that region , CNN affiliate ABS-CBN reported . During the Pope 's visit to Tacloban , he will have lunch with survivors of the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan , renamed Typhoon Yolanda in that country . That typhoon displaced 918,000 families nationwide , the government says . Francis is also to bless the Pope Francis Centre for the Poor and will meet with clergy and more typhoon survivors in the cathedral in Palo . The Pope is expected to fly out of Tacloban at 5 p.m. Saturday ( 4 a.m. Saturday ET ) . `` At that point , they 're still in the teeth of the storm . So not only is getting in a challenge , but also getting out , '' Miller said . The Pontiff is also scheduled to perform an outdoor Mass in Manila on Sunday before millions of Filipinos , Miller said . By then , the storm should weaken to a tropical depression , and its center should be about 109 miles south of the Pope , Miller said . Still , the storm is capable of delivering its heaviest rainfall at that distance , and Manila could face gusty winds and significant rain during the Mass , Miller added . The Pope 's trip to Asian isles began Tuesday in Sri Lanka , and he landed in the Philippines on Friday . On Friday , Francis met with President Benigno Aquino , and the Pontiff urged the political leader to reject corruption and promote `` honesty , integrity and commitment to the common good , '' the Vatican said . He also spoke of `` the moral imperative of ensuring social justice and respect for human dignity , '' according to a copy of his remarks provided by the Vatican . `` Here in the Philippines , countless families are still suffering from the effects of natural disasters . The economic situation has caused families to be separated by migration and the search for employment , and financial problems strain many households . While all too many people live in dire poverty , others are caught up in materialism and lifestyles which are destructive of family life and the most basic demands of Christian morality , '' the Pope said in other remarks . The Pope will end his tour Monday , when he will leave Manila for Rome .
Saint Francis celebrates outdoor Mass in stormy weather . Typhoon Mekkhala could also cause another emergency , on Sunday , a wet , windy service in Manila . Francis to meet with survivors of 2012 's Super Typhoon Sandy .