Santhos Digal

After last November's knife attack on Fr Lee, Fr Cary Chan of the Holy Spirit Church was targeted this time. A 22-year-old young man with mental and physical problems attacked him and hit him in the face. The priest suffered a haematoma, but still wanted to celebrate Mass. The archdiocese: ‘Remain calm and refrain from speculation’.

The Sunflower Centennial Halfway Home for Boys' offers shelter, education, medical care and psychological help for boys aged 5-17 from all over the island. Founder Fr Costa: ‘We provide the most suitable facilities and opportunities for recovery from trauma, struggles and problems. From a small clinic to a full-fledged centre with therapy and psychiatric assessments of children in difficulty.

According to a 2024 Supreme Court ruling, the Mercidar Fishing Corporation company can now fish in waters in the 15-kilometre municipal fishing zone. “The integrity of Creation is threatened,” 48 bishops warn. For Caritas Vice Chairman Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, “the mandate of the Philippine Constitution” is “to protect the livelihoods of small-scale and artisanal fisherfolk.” Cebu fisherman laments: “They are slowly killing us.”

The annual festival began with the devotion to the image of the Baby Jesus found by the expedition of conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi in 1565. For Archbishop Jose Palma, it is a “true source of joy and hope”. In 2025, El Niño “is the hope,” said Ruben Labajo, bishop-elect of Prosperidad hope.”

After passing away today in Quezon City, the 74-year-old nun dedicated more than two decades of her life to caring for prisoners, giving them a second chance to reflect God's grace. There are about 215,000 detainees in the Philippines, with a ratio of 200 people incarcerated for every 100,000 inhabitants.

For the first time, the feast day, among the most important religious events in the Philippines, was a national holiday. In his homily, the Archbishop of Manila emphasised the relationship between life and hope, with Jesus ‘reversing’ the perspective. For Catholics, the Nazarene is the ‘expression and witness of faith’.

In a pastoral letter published at the start of the Holy Year, Card David, president of the bishops' conference, cites a survey according to which more than 90 per cent of Filipinos have confidence in the future. “Despite the trials and tribulations that we face, we will always hold on to the belief, ‘God has mercy’ or ‘God will take care,” the prelate writes. The challenge is to live this as a "community of missionary disciples" even when confronted with new challenges.

Located on Negros Island, Kanlaon is one of the country’s 24 active volcanoes along the Pacific Ring of Fire. Its eruption has led to the evacuation of more than 84,000 people. A blanket of ash and gas fell within a radius of 3 kilometres. Government and dioceses are helping evacuees. For Bishop Alminaza of San Carlos, vice president of Caritas, “we need to support each other”. Lamentably, “We have not been good guardians of nature.”

Promoted by the Mindanao Religious Leaders Conference (MiRLeC), the event has become an annual celebration since 2001. This year’s edition begins today until 4 December, remembering the steps taken after the long war between the central government and local Islamic militias that left over 100,000 people dead. The challenge is to give the Bangasmoro agreement a future. For Bishop Edwin A. de la Peña, prelate of Marawi, peace is choice made through daily actions. A youth leader notes that faith can “transform hearts and communities.”

In 2010, Mary Jane Veloso was stopped at Yogyakarta airport because a suitcase she was given to carry contained heroin. Then Philippine President Benigno Aquino III obtained a reprieve 11 hours before the execution was set to take place. Since then, the two countries have been working to bring the 39-year-old woman home.

Caritas and diocesan representatives also joined the global march for climate justice in Quezon City. In the run-up to Cop29, the country hosting the board of the Fund to Support Countries Affected by Climate Change (FRLD) is preparing for the arrival of storm Man-yi, after the passage of Ofel. More than 250 casualties in 2024.

Two groups of participants graduated after an 18-week psycho-spiritual program run by the Philippine Jesuit Prison Service Foundation (PJPS). For Teresita Tanseco-Cruz, with "One step at a time, we keep rebuilding lives.” This allows young inmates at the New Bilibid Prison, a medium-security facility in Muntinlupa, to rediscover faith and hope. “I learned to forgive myself,” said Mark, one of the participants.