OZAMIZ City— A 90-year-old retired bishop urged the country’s active bishops Tuesday to draw closer to people weighed down by today’s crises, saying the suffering many Filipinos now endure surpasses even the hardships he witnessed during decades of ministry.
“Our people today have more suffering than what I have experienced,” Bishop Emeritus Jose Manguiran of Dipolog told fellow bishops during Mass at St. John the Baptist Parish in Jimenez, Misamis Occidental, on the eve of the CBCP’s 132nd plenary assembly.
Preaching on the day’s Gospel, he said Jesus’ compassion for abandoned people should remain the model for every bishop’s ministry, calling Church leaders to accompany those living on society’s margins.
“Washing the feet … is an act of serving,” Manguiran said, adding that Christ’s example reminds bishops that authentic leadership is rooted in humble service rather than privilege.
Reflecting on his own life, he recalled surviving Martial Law, political unrest and 27 years of episcopal ministry, saying God protected him through difficult and dangerous times.
Yet despite those experiences, he said today’s challenges are more complex, citing climate change, widening inequality, armed conflict, rapid technological change and the growing emotional burdens carried by many people.
He said environmental disasters continue to claim lives while the poorest communities bear the greatest burden, urging bishops to remain close to those most affected by suffering.
Manguiran also warned that emotional and mental distress has become an increasing pastoral concern, affecting not only society but also members of the clergy.
“People are disturbed now emotionally,” he said, urging the Church to respond with greater compassion and accompany those struggling with unseen wounds.
He also pointed to globalization, artificial intelligence and consumer culture as new pastoral challenges, saying bishops must continue defending both human dignity and the integrity of creation.
Turning to public life, Manguiran lamented what he described as widespread corruption in the Philippines, saying the Church has a responsibility to promote integrity and the common good through faithful witness.
“The Philippines now is controlled by corruption,” he said. “We shall help settle this in our small way as long as it is in God’s will that we do.”
Although retired for 12 years, Manguiran said he continues serving wherever he can, reminding the bishops that no act of charity is insignificant when offered to God.
“Whatever small work is in the will of God can become great,” he said.