Cardinal Tagle leads ‘Collegio Day’ celebration, appeals for end to discrimination

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila has appealed for an end to discrimination against people of different cultures and faiths as he led the “Collegio Day” celebration in Rome on Sunday.

The celebration was highlighted with a liturgical service at the Pontificio Collegio Filippino (PCF), which gathered the Filipino community in Italy’s capital.

The cardinal’s homily stressed the importance of valuing other people without discrimination.

According to him, that is the way a person who knows Jesus treats people — as friends and equals.

“We have this tendency to discriminate and the other group becomes mysterious to us because we don’t know them, we don’t befriend them. And the more that we don’t know them, our suspicion gets deeper,” Tagle said.

According to him, mercy reminds us that “God always love first” and his love is not something we earn because that is unconditional.

“God’s love builds bridges” he also said, adding that Jesus’ grace dismantles the barriers between people.

PCP is the residence of Filipino diocesan priests studying in catholic universities in Rome.

As a pontifical institution, the Collegio is directly under Pope Francis, through the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education.

At the same time, the Collegio administration reports directly to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines which has an Episcopal Commission on the PCF that is currently chaired by Tagle.

Before coming to Rome, Tagle met with the Filipino community in New York and New Jersey wherein he appealed for support to the Collegio’s scholarship fund, to cover board and lodging, tuition fees and health insurance.

The PCF also needs help for its daily operations, ongoing programs, maintenance, renovations, among others.

The Collegio is currently renovating its 57-year old industrial grade kitchen that will eventually serve up to 80 priests, sisters and lay staff on a daily basis.

It also trains a number of volunteer overseas Filipino workers, who, after a week of hard work in their employers’ homes, spend time with each other learning new culinary and garden skills.

There are currently about 27 Filipino priests at the PCF from 20 out of the 86 archdioceses and dioceses in the Philippines.