PAPAL Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Charles John Brown has assured the widows and orphans of the “drug war” victims that he will bring the matter of their plight to Pope Francis.
Brown, who recently met some of the widows and orphans, was “deeply moved” hearing their stories and expressed the pope’s closeness to them.
“I am deeply sorry for everything that you have to go through,” Brown said after hearing the testimonies of eight individuals who are undergoing theater therapy at St. Arnold Janssen Kalinga Center in Tayuman, Manila.
“I assure you that Pope Francis is close to you. In fact, I would be going to see Pope Francis in October and I promise you I will tell him about this experience in person,” he said.
The nuncio, who visited the center to grace the sixth anniversary celebration of its establishment, also listened to testimonies of some street dwellers.
The center was established by the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) in 2015 to provide services to the homeless.
In 2016, SVD missionary Fr. Flaviano L. Villanueva founded the “Paghilom” program to reach out to those who lost their loved ones due to killings under the government’s bloody war on drugs.
The program offers support to the bereaved families in five aspects: food, psychospiritual intervention, legal assistance, educational assistance and livelihood assistance.
Brown lauded the center’s initiative, “which is really a true gift from God for many families who are suffering the effects of this terrible violence.”
Such initiative is “close to the heart” of Pope Francis, he said.
“He wants us to take care of the marginalized and the people who are in the periphery, people who are poor and overlooked,” Brown added.
Reflecting on the theme of the fifth centenary celebration of Christianity in the country, he stressed that “all of us are gifted, so all of us must give,” especially to the poor.
“The poor are the sacramental image of who we are. We must love because we have been gifted to give,” he said.