Philippines: Cardinal calls for charity without hypocrisy from politicians

Cardinal Tagle

During Mass on Ash Wednesday, the Archbishop of Manila, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle tackled some concerns such as poverty and environment, but reserved his more impassioned words for ordinary people whose struggles are made worse by some people's "selfish thirst for power".

During the Eucharistic celebration held in the chapel in Intramuros, in the heart of the old town, the Cardinal called for "charity without hypocrisy."

"There will be a lot of charity work in the days to come but how many of those will be true service? Or these might just be self-promotion?" he asked.

"The real generosity of spirit is doing something for someone without their knowledge."

"Even charity can be used for selfish interests," he added, pointing out that in this period of electoral campaign, for the elections in May 2016, there may also be risks of political manipulation of charity. The season of Lent, remarked Cardinal Tagle, "is a call for reconciliation with God. This invitation, rings out to Christians" called to carry out acts of charity, but to do it with "their true meaning, with special attention towards the suffering of others and helping them".

The Archdiocese of Manila in Lent 2016 has relaunched the solidarity programs "Pondo ng Pinoy" and "Fast2Feed" a program aimed at feeding hungry and malnourished children.

Source: Fides