Church leaders urge public: Stay hopeful, pray for peace
Two leaders of the Catholic Church called on the public to remain hopeful and work for peace in 2026 after a tumultuous year marked by a public works corruption scandal.
In a brief New Year’s message on Wednesday, Archbishop Gilbert Garcera of Lipa City, Batangas, said that “while we have formally closed the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope across many dioceses in the Philippines, the spirit of hope remains.”
“As we enter the year 2026, we turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title Odigitria—she who shows and guides the Way. May she bless the many expectations held within our hearts with the enduring gift of hope,” said Garcera, who is also president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
For his part, Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula said in his New Year’s message that he is echoing the call of Pope Leo XIV for an “unarmed and disarming” peace in the coming year.
“I echo with deep conviction that peace is not achieved by force or fear, but by a disarmed heart and a disarming way of life. True peace begins within us, rejects violence and domination and grows through humility, dialogue, mercy and trust,” he said.
Courage and faith
Advincula said the world, especially the Philippines, is in need of this kind of unarmed and disarming peace, “which gives joy and hope to all.” “Like most of you, I often feel the scourge of a people who have been wanting peace and progress, but to no avail. We can’t seem to get our act together. We often fail miserably,” he said.
“Another year is upon us. What is in store for us? The cynical among us would give up and abandon the struggle. But we are a people of hope. We believe in God who walks with us and remains faithful to us,” he added.
The cardinal recalled that the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, “did not fully understand what was happening in her young life” when she received a message from an angel, “but she trusted.”
“Like Mary, let us face the New Year not with answers and solutions but with courage and faith. We welcome 2026 with the heart of Mary—open to mystery, attentive in discernment, questioning without fear and anchored in trust,” he said.
“As we conclude the Ordinary Jubilee Year of 2025, now is the time to embody the theme of the Holy Year. We become Pilgrims of Hope every day of this new year. We journey together in synodality and solidarity,” he added.
Broken promise
The call to remain hopeful comes after several lawmakers criticized President Marcos for breaking his promise to jail 37 individuals, including senators and congressmen, linked to the multibillion-peso flood control scandal before Christmas.
The Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives, composed of ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, Gabriela Rep. Sarah Elago and Kabataan Rep. Renee Co, had accused the President of offering “empty rhetoric” after his self-imposed deadline passed without any major arrests.
Kamanggagawa Rep. Eli San Fernando added that the public has heard only “press releases” since the anomalous flood control projects were exposed, as he criticized the government for trying to “look good on camera” while not delivering any results.
Responding to the criticisms, Palace press officer Claire Castro asked for more patience from the public as she cited some gains in the government’s efforts, such as the billions of assets frozen by the Anti-Money Laundering Council, the warrants of arrest already issued against certain individuals and millions of pesos worth of “kickbacks” that have been returned.
