Papal Envoy, Cardinal Visit Marawi Prelature, Offering Hope for Reconstruction

Papal Nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown and Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David made a low-key visit to the Prelature of Marawi on Friday, bringing a message of hope to a Catholic community still striving to rebuild its cathedral, which was destroyed during the 2017 siege of the city. Brown and David visited the ruins of the Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians, where they were welcomed by Catholic students from Mindanao State University singing the hymn “Be Not Afraid.” Cardinal David remarked, “Surrounded by the remains of what had been destroyed, we heard words that proclaimed hope rather than despair. It was as if the Gospel itself was being sung to us.” The visit coincided with the final day of the bishops’ 132nd plenary assembly in nearby Misamis Occidental, underscoring continued solidarity with the prelature. Despite losing its cathedral, chancery, and bishop’s residence during the 2017 siege, the Marawi Prelature remains canonically based in Marawi. Cardinal David lauded the vision of the late Bishop Bienvenido Tudtud, who shaped the prelature’s identity around dialogue with the Muslim community. This mission continues under Bishop Edwin de la Peña, who has led the prelature from its pro-cathedral in Balo-i since the displacement caused by the siege. “Their steadfast presence is a quiet but eloquent witness that the Church has not abandoned the people she was sent to serve,” David said of de la Peña and his priests. During Mass at the pro-cathedral, Cardinal David noted that the day’s Scripture readings reflected Marawi’s journey from destruction toward healing, emphasizing that reconciliation must precede the rebuilding of communities and structures. “There are wounds that concrete cannot repair, and memories that no reconstruction project can erase. Yet the Lord tells us today that his first work is not reconstruction but healing,” he stated. Marking the 20th anniversary of his episcopal ordination, David reflected on what de la Peña calls the “Bakwit Church” (displaced church), suggesting that years of displacement revealed the church’s deepest strength and resilience. “The cathedral may have been destroyed, the chancery displaced, and the bishop’s residence lost, but the Church herself was not defeated. She simply became, in a very real sense, a pilgrim Church,” he said. Cardinal David thanked Bishop de la Peña for remaining with his flock through years of uncertainty, hardship, and displacement, despite the continuing challenges facing the prelature. “Mission is not measured by success, but by steadfast presence. Thank you for teaching us what it means to remain with a people, even in exile,” he told de la Peña. The five-month Marawi siege began in May 2017 when militants linked to the Islamic State group seized the city, triggering a massive military offensive. The fighting devastated the city center, including the Catholic cathedral, and resulted in the deaths of over 100 soldiers and police officers, more than 900 militants, and scores of civilians. Source: Interaksyon Politics