IMAGE: CNS photo/Romeo Ranoco, Reuters
By
MANILA,
Philippines — Cardinal Luis
Antonio Tagle of Manila questioned the actions of “kings who use
violence” to intimidate the weak as he led Palm Sunday observances that opened
Holy Week.
In his
homily during early morning Mass for the blessing of palms March 25 in Manila,
the prelate poured scorn on leaders “full of cockiness and devoid of
humility.”
“Today,
many follow the kings who use violence, arms and intimidation but are without any
understanding and oneness with the weak,” the cardinal said.
Without
naming names, Cardinal Tagle urged leaders to emulate Jesus’ example of
humility in leadership, ucanews.com reported.
“Our king does not rely on
violence, in arms, in swords, in bullets or guns. Our king trusts in God
alone,” he said.
“True authority,” he
added, comes from the “serene dignity and silence of a person who trusts
in God and who is in full solidarity with sinful humanity.”
The cardinal also urged Catholics to
take advantage of Holy Week to get to know Jesus more deeply. “Let us
focus on Jesus. Let us look and listen to him to get to know him again,”
he said.
In his own Holy Week message,
Philippine President Rodrigo
Duterte called on Filipinos to help the oppressed.
“Let us remember to always help and
uplift the downtrodden because it is only through charitable actions that we
can make God’s presence visible among us,” Duterte said.
He also called for unity among
Filipinos to be able to “build a truly equitable and inclusive nation
where everyone can enjoy a decent and comfortable life.”
The president said Christ’s
resurrection should be a reminder for Filipinos that the country “deserves
salvation from social ills” such as drugs, criminality and corruption.
Human rights groups, however, have claimed
that Duterte’s “war against drugs” has resulted in the killing of
thousands of suspected drug users and peddlers.
Elsewhere in the country, Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, an outspoken critic of
the president’s anti-narcotics campaign, said Holy Week should not only be
about religious traditions and pious practices.
“(Holy Week) is about what Christ
has done for humanity,” he said, adding that the week is “holy because of
love.”
“Love alone can make us
holy,” the archbishop continued, noting that a person, for example, can
show love by visiting the sick aside from a traditional church visit.
“Instead of spilling your blood
on the streets, why not walk into a Red Cross office and donate blood? Choose
to share life. Share your blood,” he said.
“Do we need to walk barefoot
till our soles get blisters as a form of penance for our sins?” he asked. “Why
don’t you buy a pair of slippers and give it to a child who goes to school
dragging his torn footwear?”
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