Filipino cardinals Luis Antonio Tagle and Pablo Virgilio David have criticised discrimination against migrants in separate speeches at a Catholic forum in Manila. Source: Crux.
“The world seems to be returning to tribal conflicts,” said Cardinal Tagle, 68, at the Serviam Servant Leadership Conference held at a Catholic school run by the La Salle brothers on July 12.
Cardinal Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, was visiting Manila for two major events that listed him as the keynote speaker. He was the archbishop of Manila from 2011 to 2019 before the late Pope Francis appointed him to a Vatican post.
At the Serviam forum, Cardinal Tagle explained that the world’s “tribal conflicts” tend to exclude people who do not belong to the same ethnic, cultural, economic, or educational groups. Excluded persons are considered “strangers” and “are treated with suspicion,” he said. They are also often “treated as scapegoats” and “are being blamed” for things that do not go well.
Cardinal Tagle said he sees this firsthand, as he has lived in Rome for over four years. He was on the verge of tears when he spoke about migrants like him.
“Now, it seems you’re so afraid when you’re a migrant. You do not know how you will be treated, just because you’re different,” said Cardinal Tagle, whose Chinese family migrated to the Philippines.
“And we have millions of our own,” he continued, referring to Filipinos who work overseas to feed their families back home. “They won’t tell that to their families, so that they won’t feel sad.”
The Philippine government estimates 2.16 million overseas Filipino workers as of 2023, a figure that excludes Filipino natives who have already taken foreign citizenship. Many Filipino migrants, although hailed by Francis as “smugglers of the faith”, often experience discrimination in their places of work.
Cardinal David, 66, also spoke at the conference, organised by the Catholic charismatic community called Serviam.
Cardinal David, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, voiced concern about the rise of populist leaders around the world, “who capitalise on resentment”.
“It’s like Hitler is resurrected,” said Cardinal David, who rose to prominence as a critic of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte.
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Filipino cardinals Tagle, David criticize discrimination against migrants (By Joseph San Mateo, Crux)
