As the May election approaches, Christian leaders called on voters to stand against the ‘powers of darkness’ that seek to hold the nation in their grip.
The call was part of a statement issued for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2022 by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
Signed by NCCP general secretary Bishop Reuel Norman Marigza and Archbishop Angelito Lampon of the CBCP Commission on Ecumenical Affairs, they urged the electorate to insist upon “servant leadership” from those seeking their votes.
“With elections only months away, we must all take courage to work together, honoring life and God’s creation,” the bishops said.
“In these trying times, we must also guard against the powers of darkness that will seek to defraud, deceive, and destroy God’s intended goodness for the Filipino people,” they said.
In Christian unity, they said that Christian’s prophetic voice and firm stand for Christ-like conduct and life-affirming principles “will enable us to join with other Filipinos in discerning who should lead the country”.
“As a community that evangelizes through active participation in the democratic process, we can lead by example, reflecting Christ’s love and joining in a journey toward our desired future, where justice, righteousness, and peace will take root and God’s Shalom will flourish among us,” they added.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an international Christian ecumenical observance kept annually between January 18 and January 25.
The bishops stressed the importance of this year’s observance, and invited the faithful to “unite in solidarity with the most vulnerable among us”.
“The Filipino people are in need of accompaniment and aid in these difficult times,” they said.
