( CNN ) Pope Francis cut his trip to Tacloban short Saturday as an approaching typhoon with blistering winds threatened the city in the Philippines . The Pope donned a slicker to conduct an outdoor Mass for hundreds of thousands who gathered despite stormy weather . The Mass in Tacloban was shortened after sustained winds of 80 mph and higher gusts howled toward the city . Tacloban is still recovering from the 2013 disaster of Super Typhoon Haiyan , described as one of the strongest storms ever recorded with 195 mph sustained winds . It killed 6,300 people nationwide . Typhoon Mekkhala was upgraded from a tropical storm and made landfall in the Philippines in the afternoon just northeast of Tacloban . The Mass began about a half-hour after he landed . Wind rustled the hood on the pontiff 's slicker as he spoke to a crowd clad in raincoats . Typhoon Mekkhala , which is called Typhoon Amang in the Philippines , was arriving on the island of eastern Samar -- about 50 miles from where the Pope was in Tacloban . Just two weeks ago , a tropical storm struck Tacloban and surrounding areas , causing a commercial passenger plane to slide off the runway while landing . 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 . He is also to bless the Pope Francis Center for the Poor and will meet with clergy and more typhoon survivors in the cathedral in Palo . The pontiff is also scheduled to perform an outdoor Mass in Manila on Sunday before millions of Filipinos . By then , the storm should weaken to a tropical depression . Still , Manila could face gusty winds and significant rain during the Mass . 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 leaves Manila for Rome on Monday .
Pope Francis celebrates outdoor Mass in stormy weather . The Vatican said the pope was not at risk of being struck by lightning.