The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines on Friday recalled how Pope Leo XIV visited the country “several times” in the past.
The new pope, then known as Fray Prevost, celebrated mass to inaugurate the Augustinian community’s formation house in Manila in November 2008.
The CBCP also shared photos from September 2010 of Father Prevost of the Order of Saint Augustine visiting the Philippines for the congregation’s Intermediate General Chapter.
Reverend Fr. Jonas Mejares, vice president for Augustinian Formation and mission at the University of San Agustin in Iloilo, also fondly recalled Cardinal Prevost’s 2010 visit to Cebu.
During the visit, Prevost, who was still the prior general of the Augustinians, blessed the Augustinian Friary of Mohon in Talisay City.
“We are in safe hands. I’m really thankful. But until now, it still hasn’t sunk in. I was tongue-tied. I just screamed with joy. I really cried,” Mejares said.
“He has a lot of kind and generous words for Filipinos, most especially here in Cebu… He visited communities including Tolotol, Consolacion, Cebu, the Basilica, and our novitiate house in Talisay,” Mejares added.
For his part, Archbishop Socrates Villegas of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan encouraged the faithful to look past race, nationality and political labels in welcoming Pope Leo XIV as the new head of the Catholic Church.
Calling the new pontiff “a grace of hope,” Villegas encouraged the faithful to give the new pontiff the chance to love, teach, and lead them to Christ.
“Let us rise above the labels of liberals and conservatives. He is our Pope. We owe him our obedience as we would obey Christ. Let us unite. We have a Pope. Let not the Pope frighten us. He is a grace of hope. He is our answered prayer,” Villegas posted on his official social media account on Friday.
“Let us thank God for answering our prayers. We have a Pope. The Pope is God’s gift to the Church. The Pope is grace in flesh and blood to unite us, grace to guide us, and grace to lead us to Jesus,” he added.