By Lane Afable, News Editor
The Catholic archbishop of Manila yesterday linked a Lenten prayer walk to global conflicts and rising living costs, urging Filipinos to embrace a broader defense of human life.
Cardinal Jose Advincula said the “Penitential Walk for Life” should move beyond ritual, calling participants to recognize Christ’s suffering in victims of violence, injustice and daily hardship.
He pointed to wars and unrest, especially in the Middle East, where “families are torn apart and children grow up in fear and uncertainty.”
Closer to home, the Manila archbishop cited rising prices of food, fuel and basic goods, saying many Filipino families quietly struggle each day, “unsure how to make ends meet.”
“As we walk, we carry all these burdens to God. Every step becomes a prayer: ‘Lord, have mercy on your people,’” Advincula said.
The cardinal also urged the faithful to defend the dignity of life, especially the unborn and other voiceless sectors often ignored or rejected by society.
“To be pro-life is not only to speak. It is to live it,” he said.
Advincula said defending life must be reflected in daily actions, including respecting others, helping those in need and choosing mercy.
Organized by the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas, or Laiko, the Walk for Life was first held in 2017 to oppose drug-related killings, the death penalty, and other measures the Catholic Church has labeled as “anti-life.”
This year’s event featured a roughly 2-kilometer Via Crucis around the historic walls of Manila’s Intramuros district.
Advincula said the walk does not end in Intramuros, stressing that the real challenge begins when participants return to their daily lives.
“May we continue to walk each day as one with the suffering Christ, as bearers of the pain of the world in prayer, and as courageous witnesses to the dignity of every human life,” he said.
