Message delivered by His Excellency
Most Rev. Edward Joseph Adams,
Apostolic Nuncio in the Philippines
during Mass at the Manila Cathedral
on November 13, 2007.

His Eminence Ricardo Cardinal B. Rosales
Archbishop of Manila,

His Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal
Archbishop of Cebu,

His Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President of the Republic of the Philippines,

His Excellency Noli de Castro
Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines,

His Excellency Most Rev. Angel Lagdameo
President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines,

Archbishops and Bishops of the Philippines,

Honorable Alfredo Lim
Mayor of the City of Manila,

Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Monsignori and Priests,
Religious Men and Women, Seminarians,
Papal Awardees,
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I thank Her Excellency Mrs. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, President of the Republic of the Philippines, for the great honor she gives us by her presence this afternoon. Thank you, Your Excellency.

My most sincere appreciation goes to His Eminence Cardinal Gaudencio B. Rosales, Archbishop of Manila, for the welcome he has so kindly organized for me in this beautiful Cathedral. I am most obliged also to Cardinal Ricardo J. Vidal, Archbishop of Cebu, and to His Excellency Archbishop Angel N. Lagdameo, Archbishop of Jaro and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, for their gracious presence.

The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI has sent me to you.

With gratitude to God I have come to you. I bring to you the love and peace of the Vicar of Christ.

The Pope’s duty is to proclaim God to the world and to make known to all the good news of the Son of God.

As successor of St. Peter, the Pope is also called to strengthen in faith his brothers and sisters – their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ “our peace, our greatest treasure, and the one and only source of our hope”.

That faith is the common faith, which unites the Catholic people of this Country with Chair of St. Peter in Rome.

It is the faith, which, for the last four hundred years, has been your faith, a faith that has become a clear and unmistakable characteristic of your national identity.

This unique Filipino heritage is there for all to see and experience: the sense that you have for God, your appetite for prayer, your devout conscience, your esteem for life, especially family life, your efforts at human development that respect the law of God, the contributions which as a nation you have made to peace….

All of this you have been doing for a long time.

Throughout your history you have listened to God’s appeal, you have heard his invitation to goodness, to honesty, to respect for the human person, for unselfish service to neighbor, to trust and confidence in God and His Providence.

In other words, you have heard, and accepted the challenge of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus, the message of love, and, with God’s grace, you have attempted to live as Christians.

Pope Benedict XVI has given me the great privilege and honor of representing him among you, in this Catholic Country, among this people of faith. And that is why I am here.

The Holy Father has named me to be with you, for him.

I have the duty of casting his shadow here, and of being close to you, as you continue the difficult work of Christian living: of preserving and deepening your precious patrimony of faith and of witnessing to its values…

In the name of the Holy Father I say a most sincere “salamat” for the exquisite and affectionate welcome I have received from everyone since the day of my arrival here as his representative.

As I prepare to begin my work for the Holy Father among you, in his name, I bless you and greet you and ask your prayers.

God bless the Philippines.

MABUHAY ANG PILIPINAS!