5+ day, 15+ hour ago (483+ words) OPPOSED. Negros Island bishops Louie Galbines, Gerardo Alminaza and Patricio Buzon issue a pastoral letter on November 23, 2025, opposing a proposal to allow GMO crops and facilities in Negros Occidental. Courtesy of Caritas Philippines and Adsum, Diocese of Bacolod NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines " Three of the four Negros Island Catholic bishops issued a joint a pastoral letter on Sunday, November 23, calling on Negros Occidental officials to reject the entry of facilities for genetically modified organisms (GMO) in the province. The pastoral letter was released at the closing of the five-day Terra Madre Asia and Pacific in Bacolod City, whose organizers frowned on capitol plans to lift a nearly two-decade ban on GMOs in the province. GMO crops are protested worldwide over environmental, biodiversity and human health risks. In their pastoral letter, Catholic bishops Patricio Buzon of Bacolod, Louie Galbines of Kabankalan and…...

3+ week, 4+ day ago (330+ words) People attend a Holy Mass for the canonisation of Carlo Acutis, a British-born Italian boy who will become the first millennial to be made a Catholic saint, and Pier Giorgio Frassati, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, September 7, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane VATICAN CITY " Jesus may have heard words of wisdom from his mother Mary, but she did not help him save the world from damnation, the Vatican said on Tuesday. In a new decree approved by Pope Leo, the Vatican's top doctrinal office instructed the world's 1.4 billion Catholics not to refer to Mary as the "co-redeemer" of the world. Jesus alone saved the world, said the new instruction, settling an internal debate that had befuddled senior Church figures for decades, and even sparked rare open disagreement among recent popes. "It would not be appropriate to use the title "co-redemptrix…...

4+ week, 1+ hour ago (860+ words) Anglican spires still define Oxford's skyline, but a Catholic celebration is quietly taking place. The first Anglophone pope, Leo XIV, has just declared famous alumnus John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Church. This doctorate is harder to obtain than sainthood itself. Newman now joins the ranks of only 38 theological titans " the likes of Augustine and Aquinas " whose teachings permanently shaped Catholic thought. Newman's name might not be familiar to many Filipinos, but his theology offers both a diagnosis of Catholicism's history in the Philippines and a prescription for how religion might understand its role in the modern world. His story began in Victorian England, where he served as an Anglican priest. The Enlightenment and the Reformation defined the zeitgeist of his day. Within the Church of England, pressure came from two fronts: from above, Parliament sought to manage religious…...

3+ week, 2+ day ago (357+ words) CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines " Jesuit priest Antonio Moreno, former president of Ateneo de Zamboanga University and provincial superior of the Philippine Jesuit Community, invites readers into a personal meditation on leadership in his new book, Imperfect Leadership (A Jesuit Reflects on His Journey). The book, published by Xavier University Press in collaboration with the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JPAC), will be launched in Cagayan de Oro on Friday, November 7. In this 244-page reflection, Moreno frames leadership not as flawless execution or public acclaim but as accompaniment, discernment, and service marked by humility and grace. Through the lens of his own Jesuit formation and career, he highlights how leadership is both human and spiritual, shaped by mentors, family, and formative experiences. Moreno recounts the influence of his father, Rodolfo, along with other key figures like Rafael Cecilio, and other Jesuits…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago (1009+ words) It was a serendipitous encounter during a Filipino event in a European city. My mind then was preoccupied with the coming rally in Manila of the Iglesia ni Cristo on November 16-18. The person next to me had asked me about the latest news back home in the Philippines. I had no inkling my reply was coincidental. I said there is a planned rally of the INC that is read by many as a pretext for destabilization, the objective of which was to install Sara Duterte as president. His reply astounded me. "I am a former member of the INC and I have written an article in Rappler about what I know of the sect," or words to that effect. Not too long ago, Rappler published an opinion article written by a member of the Iglesia ni Cristo. The person seated…...

6+ day, 21+ hour ago (869+ words) 'Do we see Jesus Christ as a vicious king who orders the death of sinners, such as drug addicts, considered as scourge of society?' The Catholic Church celebrates on Sunday, November 23, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. Looking closely, the title and image of Christ as King and Lord seem to be too grand, if not scandalous, and irreconcilable with the image of Jesus Christ humbly washing the feet of his disciples like a servant! Ironically in the Gospel of John (6:15), Jesus refused to be made king by escaping and withdrawing to the mountain. We are also aware of the global crisis in leadership wherein some world leaders act more like ruthless and vicious kings than authentic public servants. We need not go far away from our very own country to find examples. Linguistically, the…...