Vatican envoy calls Catholics to build a more just society

OZAMIZ City — The Vatican’s ambassador to the Philippines urged Catholics on Wednesday to help build a society free from corruption, crime and discrimination, saying authentic Christian faith must shape both personal holiness and public life.Speaking during Mass at the Ozamiz Cathedral, Archbishop Charles Brown said Christians are called to transform society by defending human dignity, rejecting injustice and keeping their hope firmly fixed on eternal life.

Quoting the pastoral vision of Pope Leo XIV, Brown said the Church must work together to build communities that uphold the dignity of every person while striving for justice and peace.

“The Holy Father is exhorting us, pleading with us, calling us to work together to make this world better,” Brown said. “Not because we have forgotten heaven—that is where we are called.”

Brown said Catholics should help create a society that safeguards the dignity of every human person, including the right to life from conception to natural death, while confronting moral and social evils.

“We need a society that works to eliminate corruption, sin, crime, discrimination, and all those things that weigh us down and degrade our earthly dreams,” Brown said. “The Holy Father is asking us to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.”

He said the appeal reflects Pope Leo’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, which calls on the Church and all people of goodwill to work together for justice, peace and respect for every human person.During the liturgy, Brown also reflected on the centuries-old devotion to La Virgen de Cotta, recalling that the original image was stolen in 1975 before being recovered and returned to the archdiocese in 2017.

The Mass also featured the episcopal coronation of the image of Nuestra Señora de la Inmaculada Concepción y del Triunfo de la Cruz de Cotta, led by Archbishop Martin Jumoad of Ozamis as part of the archdiocese’s 75th diamond jubilee celebration.

More than 80 bishops from across the country, gathered for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ 132nd plenary assembly, witnessed the coronation.

Brown encouraged the faithful to deepen their devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, asking her to lead them always to Christ.

“We ask Our Lady always to bring us closer to Jesus, helping us to hear His words spoken to each one of us tonight: ‘Behold your Mother,’” he said.