MANILA, (PNA)–The head of the Archdiocese of Manila on Sunday urged Filipinos to join other countries in praying for peace to reign in Syria.
“It is time for us, Filipinos, to be part of the whole world in pushing for this cause,” said Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle in an article posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) news website.
He added, “We are all united as one. We might be geographically separated from each other, but we are all united by the virtue of our humanity.”
The cardinal’s call is in response to the earlier appeal of Pope Francis for countries around the world to join him to pray for peace in Syria and other areas ridden by conflict.
The Holy Father issued the appeal as he expressed opposition on the possible strike being pushed by the United States and France against the Syrian regime as it could escalate the conflict and affect innocent individuals in the Middle East.
“The wrath of violence in Syria affects thousands of our brothers and sisters. We could not just act indifferently and claim that since they are geographically far from us, we are not affected by this phenomenon,” Tagle added.
The prelate also asked the faithful to do away from individualism and be aware to those who are suffering in the Middle East.
“Thousands of Filipinos might also be affected by this unrest…We should not turn ourselves away from this, especially now that the world is ruled by great interdependence—move one part and everything gets affected,” the cardinal said.
Tagle encouraged the people to give the “gift of self” to help resolve conflicts in the Middle East, instead of resorting to violence.
“Instead of exchanging guns, missiles, and ammunition, why don’t we give each other the gift of self?” he said.