The following appeal was signed by 23 environmental groups and four Catholic bishops asking Pope Francis to intervene on the ecological destruction and human rights violations resulting from large-scale mining in the country. Most Holy Father, We, the undersigned environmental advocates, grassroots leaders, and faithful servants, urgently write to Your Holiness to underscore our concern…
The Kusog sa Katawhang Lumad sa Mindanao or Kalumaran – an alliance of five subregional indigenous groups representing the 18 Lumad groups – reaches out to the visiting Pontiff through an “uranda.” Uranda is a traditional lyric-poem of the Lumads about their stories and aspirations. In a statement, Kalumaran Secretary General Dulphing Ogan said that…
“The Pope’s valiant move to speak to the almost-inexistent conscience of the top officials of our nation endears us even more to him. President Aquino and his Cabinet should listen and be humbled.” – Student Christian Movement of the Philippines
“Our young Filipino artists want to welcome the Pope with an image that doesn’t gloss over the hardships and the plight of the Filipino people.”
“We hope the simple gesture of welcoming Pope Francis with a humble ribbon, in contrast to the layers of expensive and expansive print banners by businesses and politicians, would help fellow Filipinos understand the spirit of the Pope’s visit.” – People Surge
“We join you in spreading and living the message of St. Francis that there can only be lasting peace here on earth if there is social justice, equity and freedom.” – Kapayapaan By RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat.com MANILA – It has been more than three years since formal peace talks between the Government of the…
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat perspective This is perhaps the only long holiday weekend when people are not leaving Manila for a vacation. Instead most, who are Catholics of course, have been busy preparing for the visit of Pope Francis. While Pope Francis is not the first Pope to visit the country – he is the…
His Holiness Pope Francis, Greetings of peace and love from the Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) survivors! Indeed we have the same wish: a wish of a poor church and for the poor… for we are the poor in the church. In the spirit of mercy and compassion (the theme of your visit to the Philippines,) we…
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, was elected by the conclave to the throne of St. Peter on March 13, 2013. He chose the name Pope Francis. Pope Francis, 78, is the first Jesuit and the first non-European to head the Catholic hierarchy. The Pope, at his first press conference in Vatican, explained…
January 15, 2015 Dearest Pope Francis, Bienvenido! Benvenuto! Vi diamo il benvenuto con il collettivo abbraccio di maggioranza dellafilippina donne nelle Filippine We thank you for coming to personally extend your compassion to a suffering people in the aftermath of the Yolanda disaster. May your visit pave the way for your deeper understanding of the…
Pope of the poor, fight for us. We are Filipino migrants, immigrants, refugees from all over the world who, together with our families, call upon Your Eminence, to bear witness to our struggle. We call on you to speak in behalf of overseas Filipinos in our quest for a better life. We have experienced first-hand…