Cardinal Jose Advincula, Archbishop of Manila, has called on Filipinos to exercise their “rightful obligation to supress the proliferation of evil in our midst.”
By Mark Saludes, LiCAS News
The Archbishop of Manila has stressed that public protests and demands for accountability in the Philippines are not simply political acts but moral obligations.
“They are actually manifestations of the people’s collective moral conviction and an exercise of their rightful obligation to suppress the proliferation of evil in our midst,” said Cardinal Jose Advincula in a pastoral statement issued on September 15.
The Cardinal reminded the faithful that democracy does not begin and end with elections, adding that the public must remain vigilant and ensure that leaders are held accountable for their actions.
“It continues between elections, by holding leaders accountable through acts of vigilance, discernment, and—when necessary—protest,” he said.
Last week, some Church leaders in the Philippines encouraged the public to join the September 21 protest at the EDSA People Power Monument to demand accountability for alleged multibillion-peso anomalies in flood control projects.
On September 21, various groups from churches, schools, and civil society will hold twin protests in Metro Manila to denounce corruption.
A morning rally is set at Luneta Park in Manila, while a larger afternoon program will take place at the People Power Monument in Quezon City, expected to draw over 15,000 participants.
Organizers emphasize accountability, transparency, and unity, with participants urged to wear white as a symbol of solidarity on the martial law anniversary.
In his pastoral statement, Cardinal Advincula warned that corruption cannot be dismissed as mere greed but must be recognized as “a concrete form of evil.”
He said that if left unchecked, it “will be ruined by it, including the core of our humanity, that is, our dignity.”
The Cardinal said the Church has a duty to guide the faithful in confronting corruption with impartiality and objectivity, reminding them that politics and governance must serve the common good.
Citing Pope Leo XIV, he noted that politics “can become ‘the highest form of charity.’” Public service, he added, is “an act of Christian love, which is never simply a theory, but always a concrete sign and witness of God’s constant concern for the good of our human family” (Fratelli tutti, 176–192).
He urged parishes, shrines, chaplaincies, mission stations, and religious communities to respond by conducting prayerful reflections, circles of discernment, and “concrete but peaceful and non-violent actions against corruption.”
Cardinal Advincula also drew from Pope Francis’ call for “social charity” or “political love,” saying Christians are called to give themselves for the common good.
“As Christians, we are God-centered and therefore also nation-loving. True devotion to God is shown in love for the country, because holiness brings forth heroism. And in genuine holiness, service for justice is always included,” he said.
The Cardinal Archbishop of Manila invoked the intercession of Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, praying that the suffering caused by corruption, especially among the poor, may be “transformed into gladness and joy through the triumph of truth, justice, and peace over selfishness, dishonesty, and greed.”
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