267th Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church
“‘Peace be with all of you!’ Dearest brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the Risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave his life for God’s flock. I too would like this greeting of peace to enter your heart, to reach your families, to all people, wherever they are, to all peoples, to the whole earth. Peace be with you!”
These were the opening words of Pope Leo XIV’s first address to the world. Caritas Philippines joins the Holy Father and the whole church in thanking God for his election and renewing one of the core gifts and graces of our Christian faith, the peace that only the Risen Lord can give.
“I will give you shepherds after my own heart.” (Jer. 3:15) This is the promise of God that is “ever ancient, ever new.” (St. Augustine) He once more gave us a shepherd after his own heart.
This too can be said of the Holy Father’s opening lines, that the power and beauty of the Resurrection is “ever ancient, ever new,” a gift and grace renewed through different eras and across cultures, the central proclamation of the church, “Christ is Risen!”
Pope Leo XIV’s commitment to a synodal church and his vision of a missionary church support Caritas Philippines’, as well as Caritas Internationalis’, work and mission. This inspires us to double our effort to implement sustainable, replicable and scalable programs that will serve the poor, marginalized and vulnerable sectors of our society.
The Holy Father’s choice of name, Leo XIV, reminds us of Pope Leo XIII’s contribution to the church and to the world by leading the church into the modern times as we entered the 20th century.
His 1891 encyclical, “Rerum Novarum,” ushered in the church involvement in social justice issues during the time of the Industrial Revolution. This became the foundation of the Social Teachings of the Church in modern times and which, together with the Gospel, provides Caritas the worldview and framework of its works.
We believe Pope Leo XIV, like Pope Francis, will inspire us to build a church engaged in social issues, a synodal church of, for, and with the poor.
In his words: “To all of you, brothers and sisters of Rome, of Italy, of the whole world, we want to be a synodal Church, a Church that walks, a Church that always seeks peace, that always seeks charity, that always seeks to be close especially to those who suffer.”
On behalf of the 86 archdioceses and dioceses in the federation of Caritas Philippines, we offer our prayers for the Holy Father, and commit our support for and join our work with Pope Leo XIV’s vision of and mission for the Universal Church.
+ Jose Colin M. Bagaforo, D.D.
Bishop of Kidapawan
President, Caritas Philippines