(CNN) A few years ago, Glyzelle Palomar was begging for food on the streets of northern Manila. This week, the 12-year-old girl was on a stage in front of tens of thousands of people, asking Pope Francis why God lets children suffer.

"There are many children neglected by their own parents," Glyzelle said Sunday at a ceremony at a 400-year-old Catholic university in Manila. "There are also many who became victims and many terrible things happened to them like drugs or prostitution."

"Why is God allowing such things to happen, even if it is not the fault of the children?" she asked the Pope, breaking down into tears as she spoke.

Living off 'what I can find in the garbage'

Another former street child, Jun Chura, told Pope Francis about his struggle to survive without a home.

"I was feeding myself with what I can find in the garbage," said Jun, 14. "I did not know where to go, and I was sleeping on the sidewalk."

Pope Francis hugging two former street children at a ceremony in Manila, Philippines, on Sunday.

"When I was in the street, I witness also things I don't like, terrible things that happened to my companions in the street," Jun said. "I saw that they were taught how to steal, to kill also, and they have no respect anymore for the adults."

Pope Francis responded to Glyzelle's question and Jun's testimony by giving the two children a big hug.

"She is the only one who has put a question for which there is no answer and she wasn't even able to express it in words but in tears," the 78-year-old Pope told the crowd.

'The terrible things that can happen in the street'

Glyzelle and Jun are both in the care of Tulay ng Kabataan Foundation , a non-governmental organization that looks after Manila's street children.

The foundation came across Glyzelle and her older sister a few years ago, said Alexandra Chapeleau, the group's communication manager.

Photos: Pope Francis in the Philippines Photos: Pope Francis in the Philippines Pope Francis bids goodbye as he leaves Villamor Airbase for Rome on January 19 in Manila. Pope Francis has ended his five- day visit to the Philippines. The visit attracted millions as Filipino Catholics flocked to catch a glimpse of the leader of the Catholic Church. It was the first visit by a pope to the country since 1995. Hide Caption 1 of 17 Photos: Pope Francis in the Philippines Pope Francis kisses a boy in the crowd during a motorcade on January 18 in Manila. Hide Caption 2 of 17 Photos: Pope Francis in the Philippines Pope Francis greets people and blesses their religious icons as he arrives to celebrate a mass at a park in Manila on January 18. Hide Caption 3 of 17 Photos: Pope Francis in the Philippines The Pope prays in front of a cross during his visit to the University of Santo Tomas in Manila on January 18. Hide Caption 4 of 17 Photos: Pope Francis in the Philippines Millions brave the falling rain as they fill Rizal Park and the surrounding area in Manilla on January 18 to hear Pope Francis celebrate mass. Hide Caption 5 of 17 Photos: Pope Francis in the Philippines Pope Francis points at the statue of Jesus during his speech as he celebrates a mass in Tacloban, on Saturday, January 17. A rain-drenched but lively crowd wearing yellow and white raincoats welcomed Pope Francis to the typhoon-ravaged central city of Tacloban, chanting "Papa Francesco, Viva il Papa!" Hide Caption 6 of 17 Photos: Pope Francis in the Philippines Pilgrims sit through heavy rain and high winds as they wait for the arrival of Pope Francis at Tacloban Airport on January 17. Hide Caption 7 of 17 Photos: Pope Francis in the Philippines Pope Francis waves to the faithful upon his arrival in Manila, Philippines, on Thursday, January 15. Hide Caption 8 of 17 Photos: Pope Francis in the Philippines Well-wishers use their cell phones to try to capture the arrival of Pope Francis in Manila on January 15. In the Philippines, 80% of the population is Catholic. Hide Caption 9 of 17 Photos: Pope Francis in the Philippines Pope Francis waves to the crowd with Philippine President Benigno Aquino upon his arrival in the Philippines on January 15 in Manila, Philippines. Hide Caption 10 of 17 Photos: Pope Francis in the Philippines Crowds gather at the Malade area awaiting Pope Francis' arrival on January 15 in Manila, Philippines. Hide Caption 11 of 17 Photos: Pope Francis in the Philippines Young boys dressed as Swiss Guards rehearse at the steps of the Manila Cathedral ahead of the papal visit to the area on January 14. Hide Caption 12 of 17 Photos: Pope Francis in the Philippines Police line a road in Tacloban, Leyte as they rehearse security procedures ahead of the visit of Pope Francis on January 14. Hide Caption 13 of 17 Photos: Pope Francis in the Philippines Youth and students throw colored powder in the air at the start of the countdown to welcome Pope Francis, on January 14 in Manila, Philippines. Hide Caption 14 of 17 Photos: Pope Francis in the Philippines Forty elderly passengers wait to board their connecting flight to the Philippines at the Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan on January 14. The elderly passengers, mostly Filipino, embarked on the long journey to the Philippines from the US and Canada in hopes of catching a glimpse of Pope Francis during his five day visit, a part of his Asia tour. Hide Caption 15 of 17 Photos: Pope Francis in the Philippines Filipinos buy commemorative stamps featuring Pope Francis on January 8. They were released as a tribute to the pontiff who will visit the predominantly Catholic nation from January 15 - 19. Hide Caption 16 of 17 Photos: Pope Francis in the Philippines Parish priests look at a montage of paintings of Pope Francis adorning a section of Manila Cathedral on January 7 in Manila, Philippines. Hide Caption 17 of 17

The girls had left home -- where their impoverished parents were unable to support them or get them an education -- and were fending for themselves on the street, she said.

They first attended one of the foundation's drop-in centers before moving into a residential facility and starting to attend school. In November, their younger brother joined them at the foundation.

Glyzelle is still in touch with her mother and goes home to see her at Christmas, Chapeleau said.

The foundation's center where Glyzelle lives is home to about 40 other former street children.

"Most of them are victims of the terrible things that can happen in the street," including physical and sexual abuse, Chapeleau said.

'We need to see each child as a gift'

But Glyzelle's tears in front of the Pope on Sunday were apparently prompted by the intensity of the moment, not because of her own experiences.

She asked the question "on behalf of all the children we take care of," not because of "something personal regarding her own story," Chapeleau said.

The Pope touched on the street children theme again later Sunday when he celebrated Mass in a Manila park with millions of people, despite the soaking rain.

"We need to see each child as a gift to be welcomed, cherished and protected," he told the enormous crowd. "And we need to care for our young, not allowing them to be condemned to a life on the streets."

'I realized that not all people have no heart'

The Pope had visited the center where Glyzelle and others live on Friday after celebrating Mass at Manila Cathedral, and reportedly said he was "very moved" by what he saw.

There are estimated to be more than 1.5 million street children in the Philippines, about 70,000 of them in the Manila metropolitan area, according to the He Cares Foundation, another group that cares for them.

In his account, Jun described seeing some of his friends sniffing glue and taking other drugs. He said he learned to be wary of adults offering money or help because it was often a trap to exploit the children.

He initially declined an offer of support from Tulay ng Kabataan Foundation but later found out that the organization was genuinely trying to help him.

"I realized that not all people have no heart," he said.

Storm shortens Tacloban visit

The Pope left the Philippines on Monday, waving as he boarded his plane at the end of an Asia trip that also included time in Sri Lanka.

In the first visit by a Pope to the predominantly Catholic Philippines in 20 years, Francis paid a visit to Tacloban, the city ravaged by Super Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013.

Francis had to cut short his time there at the weekend because of the approach of another typhoon.

But it didn't stop him from donning a slicker to celebrate Mass in Tacloban on Saturday for hundreds of thousands who gathered despite the stormy weather.