MANILA, Philippines – Pope Francis paid homage to the Filipino strength of spirit and charitable giving amid adversities like typhoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan) and the Filipino diaspora, shining virtues he said that drew from their five-centuries-old Christian faith.
Speaking before Philippine officialdom and the diplomatic corps in Malacañang, he said his visit was “pastoral” and “meant to express my closeness to our brothers and sisters who endured the suffering, loss and devastation” of Yolanda.
“Together with many people throughout the world,” the Pope said, “ I have admired the heroic strength, faith and resilience demonstrated by so many Filipinos in the face of this natural disaster and so many others.”
He also praised overseas Filipino workers for their contributions to the welfare of the countries where they labor.
“I would also mention the oft-neglected yet real contribution of Filipinos of the diaspora to the life and welfare of the societies in which they live,” the Pope said.
He said the Filipinos’ shining virtues were “rooted not in the least in the hope and solidarity instilled by Christian faith.”
In the same address, he referred to the Mindanao accord between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which he cautiously welcomed.
“I express my trust that the progress made in bringing peace to the south of the country will result in just solutions in accord with the nation’s founding principles and respectful of the inalienable rights of all, including the indigenous peoples and religious minorities,” he said.
He said the Philippines and the rest of Asia have been facing the challenge of building a society “respectful of human dignity and rights, and ready to confront new and complex political and ethical questions.”
He explained this would need morally upright leaders committed to the common good.
“As many voices in your nation have pointed out, it is now, more than ever, necessary that political leaders be outstanding for honesty, integrity and commitment to the common good,” the Pope said.
He said essential to nation-building would be “the moral imperative of ensuring social justice and respect for human dignity.”
He cited the need to reform “social structures which perpetuate poverty and the exclusion of the poor.”
He joined the Catholic bishops of the country who have declared 2015 as the Year of the Poor.
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“I hope that this prophetic summons will challenge everyone, at all levels of society, to reject every form of corruption which diverts resources from the poor, and to make concerted efforts to ensure the inclusion of every man and woman and child in the life of the community.”
According to the Pope, the family plays a part in renewing society, but the family could be “disfigured and destroyed” by modern society.
“We know how difficult it is for our democracies today to preserve and defend such basic human values as respect for the inviolable dignity of each human person, respect for the rights of conscience and religious freedom, and respect for the inalienable right to life, beginning with that of the unborn and extending to that of the elderly and the infirm,” he said.
The Pope called for development based on spiritual and moral values.
“May the deepest spiritual values of the Filipino people continue to find expression in your efforts to provide your fellow citizens with an integral human development,” he told government leaders.
At the Manila Cathedral where he celebrated Mass for the Philippine clergy and religious and lay laity, the Pope urged Philippine Church leaders to lead in the evangelization of Asia.
“You are called to build bridges … prepare fresh paths for the Gospel in Asia at dawn of new age,” he told local church leaders led by Manila Archbishop Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.
The Pope visibly lightened up in the presence of his brethren.
Opening his homily with a quotation from the Gospel of John in which Jesus Christ asked St. Peter, the first pope, “Do you love me?,” the Pope made only the first departure so far from the English text prepared for him by seemingly posing the question to the audience.
Indicating he had indeed been showered with love, he joked, “Thank you very much!” It made the audience laugh.
He said he was greeting them “with great affection.”
In his homily, he said the Philippine Church has been called “to acknowledge and combat deeply rooted inequality and injustice (in) society, contradicting teaching of Christ.”
He added the Philippine Church herself must do examination of conscience and “embrace path of constant conversion.”
The Pope said the Church has been facing the “great danger” of a “certain materialism which can creep into our lives and compromise the witness we offer.”
He called for a Church that would work for the poor by becoming poor herself.
“Only by becoming poor ourselves, by stripping away our complacency, will we be able to identify ourselves with poor,” he said.
He urged young seminarians, priests and religious to proclaim the “joy of Gospel” to “confused and despondent” young people.
He said young people joining religious life must likewise witness to the “beauty and truth of the Christian message to society tempted by confusing representations of sexuality, marriage and family.”
During the Mass, the Pope likewise showed his support of old people when he went down the altar to make the traditional sign of peace with the elderly religious sisters and priests on the front rows, most of them in wheelchairs.