Catholic bishops must “go where the wounds are” by accompanying Filipinos facing injustice, disasters, and personal hardships, Archbishop Martin Jumoad of Ozamis said Friday as they opened their annual retreat.
Preaching at the opening Mass in Ozamis Cathedral, he said the Gospel account of St. Thomas the Apostle in the reading of the day offers bishops a model of pastoral leadership grounded in truth, compassion and solidarity, calling them to confront suffering instead of avoiding it.
“Wherever there is death, wherever there is loss, wherever there is a question of justice — that is where we place our finger,” Jumoad said. “A shepherd does not change the subject when his sheep are bleeding.”
The retreat gathers bishops from across the Philippines for prayer, reflection and fraternity before the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines holds its plenary assembly next week to discuss key pastoral concerns.
Jumoad said Thomas whose feast was celebrated Friday rejected “a faith that ignores wounds,” explaining that the apostle first sought the truth before professing faith in the risen Christ, a path he said should continue to guide the Church’s ministry.
“Our people are not ‘negative’ when they ask hard questions after tragedy,” he said. “They are being Thomas. They are demanding a faith that touches reality.”
Without directly addressing politics, Jumoad referred to recent events that have left many Filipinos grieving, including public calls for accountability, deadly flooding in Cebu and communities recovering from the powerful Mindanao earthquake.
He urged bishops to stand beside people wherever suffering exists, saying the Church’s prophetic witness must defend every human life without becoming selective or partisan in its concern.
“If we speak strongly on political division, we must speak just as tenderly on every loss of life,” he said. “We are not called to be anti-anyone. We are called to be pro-life, pro-truth, pro-justice.”
Jumoad also warned that the Church’s mission cannot stop at exposing society’s wounds but must always lead people to Christ, saying justice separated from faith ultimately loses its healing power.
“Justice without Christ becomes bitterness. But Christ without justice becomes empty words,” he said. “First, we touch the wounds with compassion… Then, only after touching, we fall on our knees.”
Turning to the faithful, Jumoad said many Filipinos quietly carry wounds caused by grief, unemployment, debt, broken families, natural disasters and deepening social divisions that often remain unseen by others.
He encouraged Catholics not to let suffering isolate them from God or their neighbors but to transform pain into mercy, charity and reconciliation through concrete acts of compassion.
“When disaster strikes, let us not ask only, ‘Who is to blame?’ Let us also ask, ‘How can I help?’” Jumoad said. “When we see suffering, let us respond with charity. When we see division, let us become instruments of reconciliation.”
The retreat coincides with the 75th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Ozamis, celebrated under the theme, “Celebrating 75 Years of God’s Faithfulness: Rooted in Communion, United in Participation, Growing in Mission.”
The bishops’ retreat runs through July 6 at AMORAP in the nearby town of Sinacaban, while the CBCP’s 132nd plenary assembly is scheduled for July 8-10.
