The recent appointments of new cardinals by Pope Francis highlights the Church's focus on the peripheries and the importance of social justice advocacy. The new cardinals, many coming from missionary backgrounds, represent a shift towards engaging with those on the fringes of society and addressing their needs.
The latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed that 90 percent of adult Filipinos were looking forward to 2025 with hope despite the political and economic challenges the country is facing. But hope can only mean something if there is renewed vigor, openness to sail to new horizons and the courage to engage in new endeavors. It is necessary to have the conviction, whether individually or collectively, that the way forward is to move away from the business-as-usual mentality.
The recent appointments of new cardinals prove this point. The Catholic Church, through the leadership of Pope Francis, highlights the importance of focusing not on the solid middle but on the frontiers. A case in point is the consistory for the creation of 20 new cardinals from around the world that was held in the Vatican on December 7. Among them is our very own Pablo Virgilio David, the bishop of Kalookan. David, also known as Bishop Ambo, is known for his fight for social justice, especially among the poor in his diocese. What was remarkable about these new cardinals is that they come mostly from different religious orders, religious congregations, and communities that are intensely engaged in the ministry of social justice, the plight of migrants, refugees, the urban poor, Catholic education and interreligious dialogue, among others. They fortify the Church's mission for her members in these areas that require crucial attention more than ever. It is a fact that, historically, what made the Church stronger and kept her integrity through her over-2,000-year existence were the challenges she continuously hurdled, including violent persecutions, wars, schisms, plagues, transgressions of Church leaders, and grueling mission work. To paraphrase a familiar saying, 'What did not kill her, made her stronger.' The majority of these appointees are dedicated church leaders who promote advocacies that are held dearly by the Catholic Church. It looks like the rationale for Church evangelization to move forward is to focus more on the peripheries and redirect much evangelization efforts and attention to the ministries farthest from the center. One can observe there seems to be no hardcore Church bureaucrat in the picture. As The Guardian news website said, 'The Pope is making sure that Catholic leaders from the Church's edges have a voice at the big table.' Regarding this important trend, Fr. Felicisimo Martinez, OP, comes to mind, especially when he mentioned in one of his best-selling books 'Refounding Religious Life: Charismatic Life and Prophetic Mission' that, in recent years, those elected or appointed as provincials and superiors of religious orders and congregations were missionaries. Those who worked in the missions do not only manifest probity of life close to living the ideal vowed life. Missionaries also bring new perspectives on evangelization based on their rich experiences and encounters with unfamiliar realities since they are exposed to other cultures and challenging human life conditions. This is the invaluable factor they can contribute to the reinvigoration and enrichment of their charism and evangelizing mission as religious orders and congregations. The lure of the bureaucratic centers of our institutions, which are well-springs of paralyzing stability, comfort and status, will always be endemic. But for a change, for the sake of much-needed improvements in many of our institutions, it may be important to note that recognition should be given to bohemians and nonconformists. This refers to those pursuing new knowledge, those cruising uncharted waters, those who challenge old and conventional practices, and those dedicated to finding new approaches and solutions to problems. It is about time for those on the frontiers to take center stage, for they are the bearers of our much-needed growth and change, be it in business, education and public service
Catholic Church Pope Francis New Cardinals Social Justice Evangelization Peripheries
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