OZAMIZ City — Muslims and Christians will one day return together to the heart of Marawi despite years of displacement, with reconciliation remaining the Church’s enduring mission, the head of the Prelature of Marawi said Saturday.
Speaking during Mass at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Tangub, Misamis Occidental with fellow bishops gathered for their retreat, Bishop Edwin de la Peña said Christians and Muslims remain united in rebuilding their war-torn city after the 2017 siege.
Catholic bishops are holding their annual retreat in the Archdiocese of Ozamis ahead of their 132nd plenary assembly on July 8-10.
“Hand in hand we go back to reclaim our place in the center of Marawi,” De la Peña said. “There is no other way. We need to reach out to our Muslim brothers and sisters.”
He said the Marawi prelature has spent five decades fostering dialogue and friendship with the Muslim community, describing that mission as its greatest witness despite recurring setbacks.
“If we did not start it in 1976, I cannot imagine what the configuration of Muslim-Christian relations in Marawi would be,” he said. “Thanks be to God, we were able to build peace together.”
The bishop said churches across the country continue supporting Marawi’s recovery through prayers, financial assistance and the pilgrimage of the restored image of Mary Help of Christians.
He said the statue, damaged during the siege and later restored, is traveling through dioceses before returning to the old cathedral site in Marawi as a sign of hope.
De la Peña said the prelature is building its temporary cathedral in Baloi town while awaiting the eventual reconstruction of St. Mary’s Cathedral in central Marawi after security and practical conditions permit.
The Prelature of Marawi will celebrate its golden jubilee on Nov. 20, marking 50 years of ministry dedicated to peace, reconciliation and dialogue between Christians and Muslims across the predominantly Islamic region.
