Cardinal Jose Advincula, new Archbishop of Manila, vowed to “walk with the poor” as leader of the country’s largest archdiocese.
“As your new shepherd in the Archdiocese of Manila, allow me to listen to you, to walk with you, to love you especially those in the periphery, the poor, the young people, the oppressed and marginalized,” said the cardinal in his homily during Mass to mark the 800th death anniversary of St. Dominic on Friday.
The prelate celebrated Mass with priests of the Dominican community of the Colegio de San Juan de Letran, according to a report on the CBCP news website.
An alumnus of the Central Seminary in the University of Santo Tomas, Cardinal Advincula urged the Dominicans in the country to follow their founder’s way of synodality and fellowship.
“I pray that as a member of the Dominican family, I too may learn from St Dominic’s synodal process of preaching not to glorify the self but to share the light of truth to others,” said the cardinal.
He then acknowledged the Dominicans’ contributions to the Church in the country, which is celebrating this year the 500th anniversary of the arrival Christianity.
“We can’t ignore the great contributions of the Dominicans in our country,” said Cardinal Advincula, adding that the first bishop of Manila was a Dominican, Domingo de Salazar, who was known for his love for the poor.
Bishop Salazar convened the first synod of Manila in 1582 to address the abuses that the Filipinos suffered in the hands of Spanish soldiers.
“The glory of St. Dominic was first seen in our country not in pomp and ceremony but in mission and synodality in fighting for the rights of the lowly and the oppressed,” said Cardinal Advincula.
