Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila hosts a dialogue with young people during the celebration of the feast of Corpus Christi on June 23. (Photo by Jire Carreon)
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila has rebuked Filipino Catholics who he said attend church services but do not live out its teachings.
While marking the feast of Corpus Christi on June 23, the cardinal urged Catholics to revive their faith in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. "Some people go to Mass but are traitors. They go to adoration [chapel] but are indifferent and don’t share with others," said the prelate. He also lamented the "indifference" of people to the environment, which he described as God’s gift. He cited piles of trash that devotees leave on streets during religious events. "When we are supposed to give thanks to God, we also show our lack of care for His gifts," said Cardinal Tagle. "I’m appealing to everyone to protect our environment because it’s God’s gift to us. Gifts are appreciated and should not be destroyed," he said. The Manila prelate reminded young people during a dialogue earlier in the day to nourish their "connection" with their families. He said parents should be "responsible enough to carry out their role as guides to their children" especially with the proliferation of various social media. The cardinal also expressed sadness over the sexual exploitation of children online. "It is no longer syndicates [that are doing it], but their own parents," he said during the dialogue with young people. He cited the case of an 11-month old girl who was rescued by nuns from a mother who tried to show the baby on an online sex site. "The mother was saying it was not abuse because the customer was not there, and that she was the one holding the child," said Cardinal Tagle. "This a call to everyone, especially to parents, please stop harming the body because it is the body of Christ," he said.