ROME— Cardinal-designate Pablo Virgilio David laid out the high stakes of working for peace, urging a group of missionaries not to give up on humanity.
Speaking at the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) Center in Milan on Oct. 19, he emphasized the moral courage required to engage in peacebuilding.
“We don’t give up on humanity as God himself never did,” David asserted, reminding the audience that, despite the capacity for wrongdoing, people possess an inherent goodness that must not be overlooked.
Speaking directly to the complexities of reconciliation, the bishop of Kalookan drew a critical distinction between condemning evil actions and preserving respect for human dignity.
“We make a distinction between the sin and the sinner, the action and the person. We hate sin but love the sinner,” he explained.
According to him, this principle provides the moral clarity to pursue peace with conviction, without dehumanizing those who have committed wrongdoings.
David acknowledged the real risks involved in peacebuilding, including the potential for personal pain and sacrifice.
Yet, he argued, this risk is one worth taking, drawing inspiration from God’s own refusal to abandon humanity, despite the “stupid things” people are capable of doing.
The president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) was the main speaker at the gathering of PIME missionaries for World Mission Day, which this year fell on Oct. 20.
Reflecting on his own advocacy against former President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs,” David expressed his belief in the rehabilitation of offenders rather than their extermination.
“I publicly expressed my disagreement with him and insisted—you can’t get rid of criminality by just exterminating criminals. Rather, you address the situation or system that breeds criminals,” he said.
He advocated for programs like community-based drug rehabilitation, which offer support and listening to the wounded, emphasizing the Christian teaching of separating the sinner from the sin.
PIME is a society of apostolic life for priests and religious missionaries, formed in Italy 170 years ago.
In the more than a century and a half of its existence, PIME has sent over 2,000 missionaries to different countries across the world.
In the Philippines, PIME missionaries have been working in Manila and nearby dioceses since 1968. They are especially active in Mindanao, an area with a strong Muslim presence.
