Filipino bishops call on fellow Filipinos, a people of migrants, to help those fleeing
Manila (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The Filipino Church is calling on Filipinos living in Europe to heed Pope Francis’s call to help Syrian refugees.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, archbishop of Manila and president of Caritas Internationalis, said it is high time for people to show solidarity with refugees who are “fleeing death,” war and hunger.
“After seeing the horrendous images of the ongoing refugee migrant problem in Europe . . . it is lamentable that many continue to be blind, deaf, and mute,” Tagle explained.
The archbishop especially lamented the fact that it took the death of a boy, Aylan, washed ashore in Turkey, for the refugee crisis to catch the world’s attention.
The world’s emotions “were stirred by the picture of the boy,” he said, adding, “It is regrettable but we have to thank that picture since it moved many people”.
Bishop Ruperto Santos of Balanga said that this is a chance for Filipinos in Europe* to show how much they care, especially for those who need help, by making donations. Likewise, he called on Filipino parishes and dioceses to do the same.
“This is for us to show that Filipinos are caring people and in solidarity with those who are suffering and in need. Let’s help in our own little way,” he said.
A former rector of Rome’s Pontificio Collegio Filippino for several years, he also headed the Italian Conference on Filipino Migrants.
As such, Santos noted that Filipinos were welcomed by other countries. “So we reciprocate. We return the favour. We open our hearts and hands to accept and pray for them [the refugees]. We offer what we can offer”.
* Italy alone is home to 140,000 Filipino immigrants.
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