Saying that the country is ‘lost’ due to corruption, a Catholic archbishop on Thursday appealed for an “eruption of conscience” that would renew honesty, mercy, and solidarity among the people.
Speaking during Mass for the pontifical coronation of the original image of the Virgen sang Barangay at the Bacolod Cathedral, Archbishop Victor Bendico of Capiz said the nation is “lost amid corruption that continues to wound our institutions”.
He also lamented a “moral decay that poisons even our leaders” and a “culture of lies and indifference” that has dulled the Filipino people’s sense of right and wrong.
“There must be an eruption from within us, not of lava and destruction, but of grace and conversion — the eruption of conscience, of honesty, of mercy, of solidarity,” Bendico said in his homily.
He likened the country’s turmoil to the natural calamities that frequently strike the Philippines, saying they “echo the turbulence within our souls and communities.”
The archbishop stressed that true renewal must come through faith, repentance, and a return to God.
He emphasized that the coronation of the Virgen sang Barangay was “not merely a ceremony of gold and jewels,” but a “proclamation of faith” and a “call to mission.”
“To crown Mary is to acknowledge her as our queen — not of power, but of love; not of dominion, but of compassion,” he said.
He urged the faithful to live out their devotion by transforming their communities into “barangays of faith, hope, and love,” where Christ is made present through Mary’s intercession.
Bendico also paid tribute to members of the Barangay sang Birhen movement, who for 75 years have carried the image of the Blessed Mother from home to home.
“You are the living hands and feet of the Blessed Mother,” Bendico said. “Through your tireless service, the rosary continues to echo in our barangays, keeping the flame of devotion alive through generations.”
Pope Leo XIV approved the Bacolod diocese’s petition for the canonical coronation of the image of the Virgen sang Barangay through a decree dated Sept. 12, issued by the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
The pontifical crowning took place on the image’s feast day, nearly seven months after the icon received episcopal coronation on March 25.
Bendico reminded the faithful that the pontifical coronation marks not an end, but a new beginning for the Church in Bacolod.
“The crown we place upon Mary is also a mission placed upon us — to make Christ reign in our barangays, in our workplaces, in our government, and in our hearts,” he added.
“May this crowned image remind us that holiness is possible, that renewal is near, and that hope, like grace, erupts quietly and powerfully when we allow Mary to lead us back to her Son,” he also said.
