The head of the Catholic bishops’ leadership urged a global lay movement to reject rivalry and ambition, warning that competition erodes unity found only in Jesus Christ.
Speaking during Mass for the Couples for Christ International Leaders Conference on Saturday, Archbishop Gilbert Garcera warned that disunity grows when leaders fall into comparison, competition or ambition.
“Let us stop comparing ourselves and boasting because we have more members. Let us avoid rivalry in our work and the ambition to rise in positions within CFC,” Garcera said in his homily at the Jose Rizal Coliseum in Calamba City.
“These do not come from Christ. These are the things that quietly destroy the unity He has given us,” he stressed.
Reflecting on the conference theme, “In the One, we are One,” Garcera said unity does not come from structures, programs or history, but from Christ alone.
The archbishop reminded leaders their roles are entrusted gifts, saying, “CFC does not belong to us; it belongs to Christ.”
“Our chapters, ministries, households, and even our leadership roles are not personal possessions or achievements. They are gifts entrusted to us for a time,” Garcera said.
True unity, he added, is preserved through humility and gratitude, especially when others grow or succeed in ministry. Insecurity and resentment, he warned, quietly weaken communities and distract leaders from serving families and the wider Church.
“Unity is not uniformity,” Garcera said. “Unity is shared joy in Christ, it increases.”
Allowing Christ to grow in marriages and families, he added, naturally diminishes ego and heals divisions within communities.
After the Mass, conference sessions were led by International Council member Lawrence Quintero and CFC Chairman and President Arnel Santos.
The gathering brought together more than 9,500 members from around the world to help set the direction for CFC as it embraces the year’s theme and prepares for the organization’s 50th anniversary in 2031.
A three-day retreat is also scheduled Jan. 16-18 in Baguio City, offering a more reflective setting for prayer, discernment and renewal of commitment to Christ and His Church.
