Cardinal Tagle Engages Filipinos During Visit to Syria
His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle (right photo) celebrated Sunday mass for Filipinos in Syria. (Damascus PE photo)
DAMASCUS 11 March 2019 – As part of his recent mission to Syria, Caritas Internationalis President and Manila Archbishop His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle met with members of the Filipino community along with officers and staff of the Philippine Embassy in Damascus on 3 March 2019.
He also visited distressed Filipino workers sheltered at the Embassy’s Filipino Workers Resource Center (FWRC) on 7 March 2019.
Cardinal Tagle was in Syria to oversee the relief efforts of Caritas Syria, and attend the annual session of the Council of Heads of Catholic Churches in Syria.
Upon his arrival, Cardinal Tagle concelebrated a mass at the Latin Catholic Church of Saint Anthony of Padua for the members of the Filipino Community. The Embassy, headed by Charges d’Affaires (CDA), e.p. and Consul General Alex V. Lamadrid, attended the mass.
Concelebrating the mass along with Caardinal Tagle were Papal Nuncio to Syria Mario Cardinal Zenari, Embassy of the Holy See and Secretary Monsignor Thomas Habib, and Franciscan priests Fathers Fadi Azar and Joseph Constatine.
Addressing the Filipino faithful in Filipino during his homily, Cardinal Tagle called on them to have a loving, just, truthful, and sincere heart—qualities that Filipinos are known for all over the world.
“If the heart is pure, it can show the beauty and honor of Filipinos. It’s in our morals to be loving, fair, truthful, simple but with sincerity. I hope that would have known the Filipino heart. (Kung ang puso ay dalisay, ‘yan ang makakapagpapakita ng ganda at dangal ng Pilipino. Nasa ating ugali na mapagmahal, makatarungan, makatotohanan, simple pero mayroong sinseridad. D’yan sana makilala ang pusong Pilipino),” Cardinal Tagle exhorted the Filipino community.
At the conclusion of the mass, CDA Lamadrid provided Cardinal Tagle an overview of the state of Filipinos living in Syria, and of the Embassy’s efforts in extending assistance to Filipinos. He also took the opportunity to invite the Cardinal to visit and bless the wards of the Embassy’s FWRC.
Attendees of the mass were delighted to partake of the food and refreshments offered by the Embassy and the Filipino community umbrella organization, Samahan ng mga Filipino sa Syria. Cardinal Tagle also met with members of the Filipino Community during the reception in his honor.
On the final day of his visit to Syria, Cardinal Tagle visited the Embassy and celebrated a mass for the wards of the Embassy’s FWRC and Embassy personnel in the morning of 7 March 2019.
Cardinal Tagle shared a Filipino breakfast with Embassy personnel and wards of the FWRC. Before leaving the Embassy, the Cardinal engaged the wards in an animated conversation, and reassured them of his prayers for their healing, safety and comfort.
The historic visit of Cardinal Tagle to Syria was unprecedented, being the first-ever visit by the Filipino cardinal and Archbishop of Manila to the country. It was also the first for the Embassy to have a mass on its premises celebrated by an Archbishop of Manila. END
Charges d’Affaires and Consul General Alex V. Lamadrid (second from left) and Third Secretary and Vice Consul Al-Bari Macalawan (far right) with His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle (second from right), Papal Nuncio Cardinal Zenari (center) and Father Fadi Azar (far left), Parish priest of Saint Anthony of Padua in Damascus. (Damascus PE photo)
The Filipino Community and Philippine Embassy in Damascus personnel pose for a photo with Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle during the reception in his honor. (Damascus PE photo)
During his call on Charges d’Affaires e.p. Alex V. Lamadrid, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle signed the Philippine Embassy in Damascus’s guest book and was given an overview of the current status of the Embassy’s efforts to extend help to victims of human trafficking. (Damascus PE photo)
For more information, visit www.damascuspe.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinSyria/.