Tagle after the quake: Rebuild the Church

MANILA, Philippines – Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle says it’s “heartbreaking” the earthquake damaged historic churches. He says this symbolizes problems within the Catholic Church. 

Paterno Esmaquel reports.

(Watch Rappler’s video report below.)

(The script of the video report follows.)

A day after an earthquake struck the Visayas, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle launches a historic conference.

It’s the Philippine Conference on New Evangelization, a 3-day event in Manila that aims to rekindle the Catholic faith.

In his homily, Tagle talks about the earthquake’s destruction of old churches in Cebu and Bohol.

LUIS ANTONIO CARDINAL TAGLE
MANILA ARCHBISHOP

Parang nakakadurog ng pusong makita, lalo na ang mga antigong simbahan, mga bantayog ng pananampalataya sa daan-daang taon, na ngayon ay napulbos. ‘Yung iba po ay hindi natin alam kung magagamit pa.

(It breaks my heart to see especially the antique churches, pillars of faith for hundreds of years, that have now been reduced to ashes. We’re not even sure if we can still use some of these.)

Tagle says it stands for a damaged institution.

LUIS ANTONIO CARDINAL TAGLE
MANILA ARCHBISHOP

Before the images of churches crumbling due to the earthquake, you could almost hear the message of God to St Francis: Build my Church, rebuild my Church. But how can we reconstruct the Church without love that enables us to break the shells of egoism and self-interest in order to embrace God.

A campus minister from Cebu, Melvin Pedrosa says the earthquake happened before he flew for the conference. He says it was a traumatic experience.

MELVIN PEDROSA
CAMPUS MINISTER

Even last night, when we arrived here in Manila, when we rested na sa dormitories, feeling namin, lahat kami, the nine of us from Cebu, parang lumilindol pa rin. Parang hindi pa naka-get over doon sa trauma.

(Even last night, when we arrived here in Manila, when we rested in our dormitories, all nine of us from Cebu felt that the earth was still shaking. We haven’t gotten over the trauma.)

Like Tagle, Pedrosa says the earthquake reminds him of the task of rebuilding the Church — spiritual and physical.

He cites the failure of some priests to appeal to young Catholics.

MELVIN PEDROSA
CAMPUS MINISTER

Meron talagang medyo hindi nakaka-relate, especially sa world of the youth, because we’re working in the world of young people. I want more understanding, more visible, and more inspiring Church workers and priests for the young.

(There are those who fail to relate, especially to the world of the youth, because we’re working in the world of young people. I want more understanding, more visible, and more inspiring Church workers and priests for the young.)

Tagle says the conference aims to discuss exactly this: ways to renew the Catholic faith in the face of secularism.

For Tagle, rebuilding the Church begins with humility. The challenge for the Church is to listen, for its wandering sheep to believe again.

Paterno Esmaquel, Rappler, Manila. – Rappler.com