Church needs 'prophets,' not 'status quo defenders,' bishop tells superiors

ZAMBOANGA City — A Catholic bishop challenged religious superiors on Wednesday to prioritize defending marginalized communities over maintaining church institutions, urging them to become "prophets" willing to confront poverty, violence, and injustice. Bishop Broderick Pabillo of Taytay said religious life must be measured not only by how it proclaims the faith but by how it stands with people whose dignity and livelihoods are threatened. "The Philippine Church does not need religious who merely manage institutions or maintain the status quo. The Church needs prophets," Pabillo told 233 religious superiors at the 2nd national convention of the Conference of Major Superiors in the Philippines. "You are called to be the conscience of the Church — to prick its complacency, disrupt its comfort, and keep it ready for mission," he said. He urged religious communities to stay close to the poor, Indigenous peoples, migrants, elderly people and other marginalized sectors rather than retreating into institutional security. "Where marginalization exists, religious must be found — remaining with the vulnerable, defending their dignity, and empowering their voice," said Pabillo, who also chairs the CBCP Office on Stewardship. The bishop also called on religious leaders to confront conflicts over land and natural resources without resorting to violence, saying justice must be at the heart of any lasting peace. "Arms cannot manufacture justice. As religious, we must proclaim that peace is the fruit of justice," he said. He cited destructive mining and large-scale reclamation projects as issues requiring the Church to defend affected communities and creation. Pabillo also recognized religious communities that sheltered whistleblowers, victims of the previous administration’s drug war and their families. Their support helped preserve testimonies used in cases involving alleged abuses, he said. He challenged religious superiors to ask where their communities are most needed, whom they should help reconcile and which threatened communities and parts of creation require their prophetic voice.