Cardinal Tagle: 'Talk about Jesus as a living person, not just as a set of rules or beliefs'

Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, who is in charge of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, urged the delegates at the Mindanao-Sulu pastoral conference to disseminate the Christian faith, not just as a set of ideas or rules but as a way of life in the person of Jesus.

"This is our prayer for the church in Mindanao and Sulu," he stated. "Please talk about Jesus as a living person, not just as a set of rules or beliefs."

Cardinal Tagle was speaking at the 17th Mindanao-Sulu Pastoral Conference (MSPC), held on November 7–11 in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.

Cardinal Tagle said that our faith must grow in order for the mission of evangelization to be successful. The faith that makes people love Jesus, with patience.  

"That's the meaning of evangelizing ourselves. To renew our belief in Jesus and share the wonderful life and example of Jesus' dealings with his neighbor" he said. 

"His words are beautiful, His relationships are the norm of our relationships, and His reversal of the world's bad news is still amazing," Tagle said.

He added, "We pray that the Lord will pour out abundant blessings in Mindanao and Sulu." 

The conference, whose theme was "The Gift of Faith and New Evangelization as a Synodal Church," was attended by 275 lay faithful, consecrated men and women, priests, and bishops. 

It was held at the same time as the MSPC's 50th anniversary.

The end result of the four-day meeting was a document called "Statement of the 17th Mindanao-Sulu Pastoral Conference." It talks about inclusion, new ways to spread the gospel, and taking care of the common home.

The manifesto asks the church to form partnerships with all businesses, organizations, and people who believe in the same things as the gospel. This will help spread God's message to everyone.

It also exhorted the faithful to use innovative evangelization instruments (radio, television, print, and social media) to explore new missionary frontiers (politics, culture, education, recreation, economics, etc.)

"To nourish and pass on the gift of religion within the family with the same intensity and sense of purpose, especially for those in hard situations," the document said. 

For the journey of faith to be truly inclusive and synodal, the text promised to always listen to the views of the poor and the oppressed, especially LGBTQ community, people with disabilities, and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

The delegates also thought it was important to heal the wounds of hatred and division by "creating a safe space where different cultures and living religious traditions can be celebrated and lived in a way that is inclusive and harmonious."

The conference also backed getting rid of the arancel system, which gave priests money for doing certain church jobs, gave church workers reasonable allowances, and make things more open and accountable.

The MSPC was held at the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro this year. All five of Mindanao's episcopal provinces were represented: Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato, Davao, Ozamis, and Zamboanga.

The MSPC hopes that by addressing the problems of the Catholic Church, it will strengthen the unity and unity of the Mindanao church. 

The Mindanao-Sulu Pastoral Conference is a gathering of bishops, priests, religious, and laypeople from the archdioceses, dioceses, and prelatures of Mindanao and Sulu. It is held every three years.

Mindanao is the Philippines' second-largest island, and the small island of Sulu is close to the coast. Mindanao is located in the southern portion of the country

The first conference was held in Davao City in 1972, not long before Marcos declared martial law. There have been sixteen MSPCs since the first one.

MSPC is credited with facilitating the formation of basic religious communities in Mindanao, which have now expanded throughout the Philippines. -Kasmir Nema