OZAMIS CITY(June 6) — Catholic bishops were urged Friday to bring the Church closer to Filipinos burdened by injustice, disasters and personal suffering as they opened their annual retreat with a challenge to “go where the wounds are.”
Delivering the homily at the opening Mass in Ozamis Cathedral, Archbishop Martin Jumoad said bishops must confront people’s hardships instead of distancing themselves from them, describing wounded communities as the very places where the Church’s mission is most needed.
“Wherever there is death, wherever there is loss, wherever there is a question of justice — that is where we place our finger,” Jumoad said. “A shepherd does not change the subject when his sheep are bleeding.”
His message comes as Catholic leaders gather for several days of prayer and reflection ahead of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ (CBCP) plenary assembly next week, where they are expected to discuss major pastoral concerns facing the Church and the nation.
Drawing from the Gospel account of St. Thomas the Apostle, whose feast the Church celebrated Friday, Jumoad said authentic faith does not ignore pain or difficult questions but meets people in their suffering.
“Our people are not ‘negative’ when they ask hard questions after tragedy,” he said. “They are being Thomas. They are demanding a faith that touches reality.”
Without mentioning specific political controversies, the archbishop pointed to recent events that have left many Filipinos grieving, including calls for accountability in public life, deadly flooding in Cebu, and communities still recovering from the powerful Mindanao earthquake.
He reminded bishops that the Church’s prophetic role requires defending every human life without becoming partisan.
“If we speak strongly on political division, we must speak just as tenderly on every loss of life,” he said. “We are not called to be anti-anyone. We are called to be pro-life, pro-truth, pro-justice.”
Jumoad also warned that calls for justice must remain rooted in faith.
“Justice without Christ becomes bitterness. But Christ without justice becomes empty words,” he said. “First, we touch the wounds with compassion… Then, only after touching, we fall on our knees.”
Addressing ordinary Catholics, he acknowledged the hidden struggles many families continue to endure—from unemployment and debt to broken relationships, disasters and social divisions—and urged them not to allow suffering to lead to isolation or despair.
“When disaster strikes, let us not ask only, ‘Who is to blame?’ Let us also ask, ‘How can I help?'” he said. “When we see suffering, let us respond with charity. When we see division, let us become instruments of reconciliation.”
The annual bishops’ retreat is being held at AMORAP in Sinacaban, Misamis Occidental until July 6, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Ozamis under the theme, “Celebrating 75 Years of God’s Faithfulness: Rooted in Communion, United in Participation, Growing in Mission.”
The retreat will be followed by the CBCP’s 132nd plenary assembly from July 8 to 10, where the country’s bishops are expected to take up key pastoral and national concerns.
