Santosh Digal

Terrorist militants Maute and Abu Sayyaf took possession of the cathedral on May 23. The building was liberated on August 28 by Manila troops. A total of 749 guerrillas have lost their lives during the conflict, 155 victims among Filipino security personnel. It will still take some time to put an end to the siege of Marawi. The last battlefield as big as two football fields.

The leader of the group, Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, promised to help to the prelature’s programme. He met Mgr Edwin de la Peña, bishop of Marawi, in Rome. The ‘Duyog Marawi’ plan will involve 13 coastal communities near the city. “Let us show to the world that violent extremist ideas will not flourish in our lands,” the bishop said.

"Share the Journey" seeks to promote a culture of encounter with migrants and refugees. The campaign will run until 2019. More than 160 Caritas members are involved around the world. The ACT Alliance, a coalition of 146 churches and faith-based organisations, supports it. “I hope the global migration and refugee situation will lead the whole world in a corporate examination of consciousness and our value systems," the cardinal said.

The Church must be a “reconciling presence". We need to build bridges, not division and hate. The Filipino Church and Caritas are committed to the displaced. Young Moro design and sell t-shirts to raise funds.

The Filipino army intervened near the mosque of the terrorists stronghold of Bato. Joy for his release. The conflict is about to end, but the city is destroyed. Plans for reconstruction. Mindanao bishops condemn terrorism.

The war on drugs “is nothing but extra-judicial killing". More than 12,000 people have died in police operations. Church outreach towards addicts and families includes relief and rehabilitation. Government figures about drug addiction are inflated.

Conferences and seminars encourage a “culture of peace and empathy". For one youth leader, “Youth, with their energy, connections and enthusiasm in advocating peace, can produce change in society."

In less than four days, the police killed 32 alleged drug dealers at Bulacan and another 49 in Manila. Card. Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, invites the government to dialogue: "The drug problem should not be reduced to a political or criminal problem. It is a humanitarian issue that affects us all. " "Remember the words that God said to Cain, who had killed his brother Abel: Your brother's blood cries out to me from the soil (Genesis 4:10)."

Therese Maria Abigail V. Ledesma, 21, hosted from 30 July by an Indonesian family, explains her expectations. "As I come from a predominant Catholic country, I am keen to learn how youth and Catholics in Indonesia live their faith in a Muslim majority nation,” she said.

The University of Santo Tomas hosted 7,000 delegates on 28-30 July. Archbishop Bernardito Auza, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, a native of Talibon (Philippines), urged those present to work for peace in families. Italian Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of New Evangelisation, called for action to promote the dignity of human life as the moral responsibility of everyone.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines has launched a new forum to combat trafficking in human beings in the country. In each diocese there will be an office to denounce individual cases. Various religious associations collaborate on the initiative. Pope Francis denounces: "An aberrant plague"

In 1966, the Focolare Movement set foot in Asia, starting in the Philippines. From there, it spread to Pakistan, Myanmar, Thailand, and India. It is currently involved in banking, businesses, and associations to bridge the gap between haves and have-nots through profit sharing.