The head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) urged leaders of a global lay movement to reject rivalry and ambition, warning that competition undermines the unity found only in Jesus Christ.
CBCP president Archbishop Gilbert Garcera made the appeal during a Mass for the Couples for Christ International Leaders Conference at the Jose Rizal Coliseum in Calamba City on Sunday.
“Let us stop comparing ourselves and boasting because we have more members. Let us avoid rivalry in our work and the ambition to rise in positions within Couples for Christ,” Garcera said in his homily.
“These do not come from Christ. These are the things that quietly destroy the unity He has given us,” he added.
Reflecting on the conference theme, “In the One, we are One,” Garcera said true unity does not come from structures, programs, or history, but from Christ alone.
He reminded leaders that their roles are entrusted gifts, not personal achievements, stressing that “Couples for Christ does not belong to us; it belongs to Christ.”
Garcera said unity is preserved through humility and gratitude, warning that insecurity and resentment weaken communities and distract leaders from serving families and the wider Church.
“Unity is not uniformity,” he said. “Unity is shared joy in Christ
