Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, retired prelate of Manila, leads the rite of the closing of the Jubilee Door of the Manila Cathedral on Nov. 13. (Photo by Angie de Silva)
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila had urged Catholics to continue working for the poor at the closing celebration of the Jubilee Year of Mercy on Nov. 13.
"The needs of a poor person is our door to the heart of Jesus," said the prelate in a message read during the celebration in Manila.
Cardinal Tagle, who is currently in Rome, also asked for prayers for victims of the recent earthquake in Italy and the refugees and prisoners he was meeting there.
The Manila prelate was elected the first Asian president of Caritas Internationalis, the world's biggest network of Catholic charities, last year.
"Let us continue our pilgrimage of mercy and compassion by encountering the hungry, thirsty, and the homeless," said Cardinal Tagle.
He urged Catholics to "keep our hearts open to the poor, to those we have offended, and to those who have hurt us."
During the opening of the Year of Mercy last year, Cardinal Tagle called for an end to corruption and abuse of women, children, and the oppressed.
"Stop the rampant corruption. Stop the abuse of women and children. Spread mercy, stop the endless abuse of the weak," he said.
The Catholic Church's "Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy" will officially end on Nov. 20, the Solemnity of the Christ the King, with the closing of the Holy Door in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.
Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, retired prelate of Manila, led the rite of the closing of the Jubilee Door of Manila Cathedral on Nov. 13.
During the Holy Year of Mercy, Pope Francis put emphasis on the value of forgiveness, healing and reconciliation.