Puerto Princesa (RVA News): Bishop Socrates Mesiona, the apostolic vicar of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, the Philippines recently visited Muslim leader, Hadji Jamael Kasim, demonstrating a strengthening of interreligious rapport in the country’s largest province.
Bishop Mesiona paid a courtesy visit to Kasim at his store in the town of Balabac, in the early morning of March 10, and sought to express solidarity with him and other Muslim brethren.
“I actually wanted to accord you respect, to show you respect as a leader,” the bishop told him.
The Muslim leader has also expressed appreciation for the bishop’s gesture.
“It’s the first time that a priest, a bishop, has visited me,” Kasim said. “We also see each other at events in the plaza,” he added, referring to interfaith gatherings in the province.
Kasim assured Mesiona of interfaith tolerance and harmony.
“We are like a broom that, when bound together, no one will say that this one is a Muslim and that one is a Christian,” Kasim said.
“We are all humans, after all,” Mesiona said, receognising the strong harmony between Christians and Muslims in the town.
Palawan is a predominantly Christian, but Muslims represent a significant share of its population, especially the southern part of the province, estimated at 10 per cent of the inhabitants. The religious influence in the area can be traced back to the Sulu Sultanate and Brunei Muslim missionaries.
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
https://www.Facebook.com/CFM-Gifted-to-give-101039001847033
Interfaith cooperation between Christians and Muslims in Palawan includes environmental conservation, like seaside clean-ups.
Divine Word Father Rodrigo Salazar, parish priest of ICP Balabac Parish, and some parish church leaders accompanied Bishop Mesiona.
