Having the Christian faith means believing in and living the great values of justice, truth, love, and equality, as well as opposing sin, as preached and practiced by Jesus of Nazareth.
He invites us to accept him as our friend and be his disciple—to imitate his unselfish dedication to doing good for others, to oppose evil, to free the destitute and the downtrodden from their hardships, and to support victims of child abuse.
He calls on sinners to repent and do penance. He saved the world from sin and challenges all of us to do likewise by fighting for justice for abused children and lifting up the poor.
This is the faith, mission, and message that the newly elected Pope Leo XIV—and all of us—should have and put into action. Pope Leo, like all true Christians, must never compromise with wrongdoing, never tolerate or cover up crimes against anyone, especially children.
Faith means being committed in mind and heart to work for justice and truth, to oppose evil, and to believe that we can win.
That is the kind of faith possessed by Australian Columban missionary Fr. Brian Gore, who died on Easter Sunday, April 20. He lived the kind of faith that can change the world and move mountains of sin. This is the faith Pope Leo needs to inspire, teach, and lead the people of God.
He will understand the poor and their desire for freedom from poverty and injustice. He can—and should—bring freedom and social justice to abused and exploited women and children.
Fr. Brian’s spirit will live forever, and he will experience resurrection in the end, for he lived his commitment throughout his life. He came to the Philippines in 1969 after his ordination. He dedicated his life to living his faith and putting it into action for the poor and marginalized people of Negros Island.
He was a pastor, and over the years he organized basic Christian communities in remote villages, where he trained the people to take responsibility for the community and for each other.
Fr. Brian lived and died in the village of Bantolinao, in the mountains of Negros Occidental province. It is a self-supporting Christian community. He and the people shared the Eucharist and Christian living together, helping one another.
One inspiring story I heard during my many visits to him in Kabankalan, Negros Occidental, was about members of the basic communities in a rice-growing area.
One farmer, Bernardo de la Cruz, harvested some bananas on his tenant farm. A wealthy landowner falsely claimed he owned those bananas, charged the farmer with theft, and had him jailed. This was an evil plan to prevent Bernardo from plowing and planting in his fields. His sons were too young to do it.
Without a harvest, Bernardo would have nothing to give to the landowner, and he would lose his tenancy; the land would be forfeited. The landowner planned to consolidate the small holdings into a large plantation.
Then one morning, as the sun rose on the horizon, ten farmers with their carabaos and plows arrived at Bernardo’s farm. They worked all day until nightfall. In the following days, they returned to plant rice. The farm was saved.
Community leaders enlisted the help of Fr. Brian and his lay workers to free Bernardo—and they did.
Fr. Brian became a strong advocate for farmers’ rights, protesting land-grabbing and the killing of poor farmers by goons hired by plantation owners. He, other clergy, and Bishop Antonio Fortich once organized a massive rally to demand social justice, an end to land-grabbing, and a stop to military oppression.
It was the first time poor people came together to challenge the rich landowners and their political cronies. Organized by trained farmer-leaders, the rally was held in Kabankalan in March 1980 to protest land-grabbing, deforestation, the corrupt local mayor, and military violence.
Tenant farmers were being looted, killed, and driven off their land. I joined Fr. Brian and others in the rally. At that time, the military could kill anyone they branded a communist insurgent.
An estimated 10,000 people flooded the town. Huge banners, flags, and placards were everywhere. The empowered people fearlessly protested and demanded justice. The once all-powerful families who controlled the local government and the military were challenged and unnerved by this display of people power.
The rally gained national media attention. Land-grabbing stopped, and the military was ordered to stand down. The cruel mayor was assassinated in 1983 by communist insurgents. Months later, Fr. Brian, Fr. Niall O’Brien, Fr. Vicente Dangan, and six lay workers were wrongly arrested, jailed, and charged with his murder.
The “Power to the People” rally had not been forgotten—this was revenge. They became known as the “Negros Nine,” fighting for social justice. They lived and suffered for their faith. The dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. finally bowed to international outcry over the injustice and released them in 1984 for lack of evidence.
After Marcos was ousted in February 1986, they returned to their mission with renewed faith. Their mission continues to this day through the Negros Nine Human Development Foundation.
Pope Leo XIV must become a leader who takes decisive action to protect victims of clerical sexual abuse and bring abusers to justice in civil courts.
He is challenged to oppose the evil of human slavery and the trafficking of hundreds of thousands of children every day. He needs the support of every bishop and believing Catholic to do it.
Irish missionary Father Shay Cullen, SSC, founded the Preda Foundation in Olongapo City in 1974 to promote human rights and the rights of children, especially victims of sexual abuse.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of LiCAS News.
Note: Any original information, stories, or news articles posted on this site that are authored by the Preda Foundation and Father Shay Cullen may be shared, copied, or reproduced without further permission, in support of truth, freedom of expression, and the public’s right to know.
LiCAS News was granted permission to republish and adapt this article by Father Shay Cullen in the spirit of truth-telling and the pursuit of justice.
