Pro-environment groups expressed hope that the new archbishop of Manila, Cardinal Jose Advincula, will be in the forefront of environmental advocacy.
“May he lead this critical journey toward integral ecological conversion,” said Rodne Galicha, executive director of the movement Living Laudato Si’ Philippines.
“May he also speak truth to power and continue to be the voice of nature and human rights,” added Galicha.
Cardinal Advincula, former prelate of the Archdiocese of Capiz in the central Philippines, was installed the 33rd archbishop of the Archdiocese of Manila on June 24.
Galicha said that as head of the Church in the capital, the cardinal has the “capacity to show standards on how our faith should be lived out in the contemporary context.”
He expressed hope that the new prelate of Manila will “not only listen to both the cry of the Earth and the poor but also act on them with compassion.”
Gerry Arances of the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development said environmental defenders look forward to how Cardinal Advincula would act on “ecological problems.”
“We hope we can work together in pushing for a green recovery pathway, ending coal and other fossil fuel finance, and in advancing sustainable development for our people,” said Arances.
Jaybee Garganera, national coordinator of Alyansa Tigil Mina, said his organization is confident that the cardinal has the “wisdom and courage to lead his flock who are working hard for ecological convergence.”
Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos called on the faithful to “help our new archbishop of Manila to listen to the voices of those who are often taken for granted.”
Bishop Alminaza, who is one of the convenors of the group Withdraw from Coal Coalition, said the faithful must accompany the cardinal in heeding “the cry of our Common Home.”
During his installation, Cardinal Advincula appealed to the faithful to “let me be a listening shepherd to you all, and let us learn from one another how to listen after the heart of Christ.”
The new Manila archbishop is known for being a low-key figure who always consults his flock. He has been praised for building makeshift churches in far-flung communities in his previous dioceses.
He was ordained a priest on April 14, 1976, at the age of 24. He obtained his Licentiate in Canon Law from the Angelicum in Rome.
On July 25, 2001, Pope John Paul II appointed him bishop of San Carlos.
