"Pray, Alfred! Ask forgiveness from the people you have wronged, and also from the Lord. Ask for his mercy and compassion so that you may be released from this detention soon," says the Catholic nun consoling Alfred, an apprehended undocumented worker. Hands touching against the glass, the two pray the rosary. End of scene.

Props are cleared away. A choir takes the stage. Celebrated as part of the Roman Catholic Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, launched by Pope Francis last December, the drama-concert sheds light on the significance of his papacy for Filipino Catholics and the Philippines.

Coming from nearly a dozen church communities across the Tokyo archdiocese, Catholics gathered inside Meguro's St. Anselm's Church on Oct. 10 for the event organized by the Gathering for Filipino Groups and Communities (GFGC), a Catholic lay organization.