Amid Cathedral Ruins, Papal Nuncio Finds Hope in Marawi Catholics’ Unshaken Faith on NewsLine Philippines - Building Information Highway for the Community
MARAWI CITY (July 15) — Standing inside the roofless ruins of St. Mary’s Cathedral, Papal Nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown found not devastation, but a community whose faith has endured nearly a decade after the Marawi siege.
During a pastoral visit to the Prelature of Marawi on July 10, Brown praised the resilience of the city’s small Catholic community, describing its unwavering faith as a powerful witness to hope despite years of displacement, loss, and hardship.
Brown visited Marawi with Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan and Marawi Bishop Edwin dela Peña following the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ 132nd Plenary Assembly in the Archdiocese of Ozamis.
Speaking to Radyo Veritas on Monday, the Vatican envoy said he was deeply moved by the steadfastness of Catholics who have continued practicing their faith despite the destruction brought by the 2017 Marawi siege.
“It was beautiful to see the perseverance, love, and humility of the Catholics in Marawi,” Brown said. “It was a beautiful witness to the perseverance of the Christians there, who have suffered a great deal over these years.”
One of the most emotional moments of the visit came as the delegation prayed inside the remains of St. Mary’s Cathedral, where only the walls remain standing after the church was destroyed during the five-month battle between government forces and Islamic State-linked militants.
“We went into the cathedral, which has no roof; only the walls are left. Everything was destroyed,” Brown recalled. “We all prayed there in the ruins of the cathedral. It was quite moving.”
The atmosphere became even more poignant when members of the local Catholic community sang “Be Not Afraid,” a hymn that echoed through the ruined sanctuary as a message of courage, healing, and hope.
Brown also recognized the continuing struggles of Marawi’s Christians, many of whom lost family members, homes, businesses, and livelihoods during one of the country’s deadliest urban conflicts. Yet he said his visit strengthened his belief that Christians and Muslims can continue building peaceful coexistence through dialogue, mutual respect, and shared goodwill.
The visit also renewed the call to help rebuild Marawi’s principal Catholic church.
CBCP President Archbishop Gilbert Garcera urged dioceses across the country to contribute to the reconstruction of the Marawi Pro-Cathedral as a concrete expression of solidarity with the local Church.
“I encourage my brother bishops and the dioceses throughout the Philippines to make a contribution. We call it sharing or generosity,” Garcera said in an interview with Radyo Veritas.
The nationwide appeal is being carried through the “Caravan for Peace and Solidarity: Padayon Prelatura sa Marawi,” a fundraising campaign organized with Aid to the Church in Need Philippines. The initiative includes the pilgrimage of the image of Mary Help of Christians, patroness of Marawi, to dioceses across the country to inspire prayer, unity, and support for the prelature’s continuing rehabilitation.
Nearly nine years after war reduced St. Mary’s Cathedral to ruins, Church leaders say the surviving walls have become more than a reminder of conflict—they now stand as a symbol of a faith that refused to collapse, and of a community determined to rebuild with hope.
The post Amid Cathedral Ruins, Papal Nuncio Finds Hope in Marawi Catholics’ Unshaken Faith appeared first on NewsLine Philippines.
Amid Cathedral Ruins, Papal Nuncio Finds Hope in Marawi Catholics’ Unshaken Faith
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