Cardinal Tagle Urges End to Wars and Violence at Father's Funeral

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle on Thursday made a forceful appeal for an end to wars and violence during the funeral Mass for his father, Manuel "Tatay Maning" Tagle Sr., invoking his father's childhood wounds from World War II. "In the name of Tatay Maning: Please, no more wars. No more widows — women who are made widows without any sense. Please, no more violence that will create wounded young people," Tagle said at the Imus Cathedral in Cavite. Tagle Sr. was 14 when an air raid struck his neighborhood during the war, killing his father and injuring him, leaving shrapnel lodged in his body for the rest of his life. "He bore in his body, in his mind, in his memory, the horrors of war," the cardinal said in his homily. The pro-prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization emphasized that war's wounds extend far beyond the battlefield, affecting people, families, and entire communities for generations. He also connected his father's survival to the support he received from others, highlighting the importance of human relationships. "Life is in communion. Life is in relationship with God, with brothers and sisters, with the whole of society, with the whole of creation. That’s where we find life," he said. Manuel Sr., who died on Sept. 6 at 96, was remembered for his quiet service, including as a Eucharistic minister and his efforts to help young people, particularly blind students, pursue education. Tagle said these acts exemplified a life centered on service and connection, themes that also shaped his reflections on death and Christian hope. "Others may forget you, but with God remembering you, time is healed by eternal memory," Tagle said. Twelve bishops, including Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan and papal nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown, concelebrated the funeral Mass with over 100 priests.