MANILA (LiCAS News): Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David of Kalookan said on July 10 that the Church must prioritise healing and reconciliation over rebuilding churches and other structures, as Marawi, Lanao del Sur, Philippines, continues to recover from the 2017 siege.
Cardinal David delivered the message during Mass at Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Parish Church in Maria Cristina, Balo-i, which now serves as the pro-cathedral of the Territorial Prelature of Marawi.
The Mass was concelebrated by apostolic nuncio Archbishop Charles John Brown, Bishop Edwin de la Peña of Marawi, and priests of the prelature.
The visit followed the conclusion of the plenary assembly of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and coincided with the 20th anniversary of Cardinal David’s episcopal ordination.
Before the Mass, the cardinal and Archbishop Brown visited the ruins of the Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians and the former episcopal residence in Marawi, both destroyed during the five-month battle between government forces and Islamic State-linked militants in 2017.
There are wounds that concrete cannot repair, and memories that no reconstruction project can erase. Yet the Lord tells us today that his first work is not reconstruction but healing.
Cardinal David
In a social media post, Cardinal David said Catholic students from Mindanao State University welcomed them by singing Be Not Afraid, describing it as “a deeply moving moment”.
Reflecting on the day’s reading from the Book of Hosea, the cardinal said God’s promise to Israel begins with healing rather than reconstruction. “He promises first to heal. Healing always comes before rebuilding,” he said.
He said the experience of the Marawi Church shows that rebuilding physical structures alone cannot restore communities scarred by conflict.
“There are wounds that concrete cannot repair, and memories that no reconstruction project can erase,” he said. “Yet the Lord tells us today that his first work is not reconstruction but healing.”
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In his reflection on the gospel, Cardinal David said Jesus’ words about sending his disciples “like sheep in the midst of wolves” should not be understood as a call to fear.
“These words have often been misunderstood as a call to fear. They are not. They are a call to courageous vulnerability,” he said. “Jesus never promised his disciples security. He promised them his presence.”
Pope St. Paul VI established the Territorial Prelature of Marawi in 1976 and appointed Bishop Bienvenido Tudtud as its first prelate.
Cardinal David said the prelature has long embraced a mission of dialogue and service among the predominantly Muslim Maranao people.
“From the time of Bishop Bienvenido Tudtud, this prelature was never defined by numbers or influence,” he said.
“It chose another path: to remain a humble presence among the Maranao people, to build friendships, to engage in dialogue, to witness not by power but by charity,” he added.
The cardinal said the loss of the cathedral, chancery, and bishop’s residence during the Marawi siege did not diminish the Church’s mission.
David said the destruction of the cathedral, the displacement of the chancery, and the loss of the bishop’s residence did not defeat the Church. Instead, he said, the prelature continued its mission as a pilgrim Church, echoing Bishop Edwin de la Peña’s description of it as a “Bakwit Church” [church of evacuees].
