By Eva Visperas
LINGAYEN-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas challenged Catholic priests to confront moral failures within the Church and society, calling for personal conversion as the path to peace in a troubled world.
Speaking during the Chrism Mass at the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist in Dagupan City, the archbishop described priests as being “at war” — not with weapons, but with conscience, complacency, and moral compromise.
Villegas opened his homily by painting a picture of a world burdened by conflict, rising fuel costs, hunger, and anxiety. He contrasted the sacred oils blessed during the Mass — symbols of healing and joy — with the oil linked to global conflict in the Middle East.
“We need the oil of the Lord and less the oil of wars,” he said.
The Chrism Mass, attended by priests from across the archdiocese, marks the renewal of priestly promises and the blessing of oils used in sacraments throughout the year.
In one of the homily’s strongest passages, the archbishop spoke candidly about what he called “darkness” caused by the Church’s silence on key social issues.
He cited priests’ failure to speak out against blasphemy, violence linked to the drug war, corruption, fake news, and political dynasties that harm the poor.
“The war did not start in Gaza or Ukraine or Tehran. It started in our hearts,” Villegas said, referencing conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, and Tehran.
He warned that war begins with small compromises — lies tolerated, gossip repeated, and moral standards lowered.
The archbishop urged priests to fight internal battles against materialism, vanity, laziness, and dishonesty. He called for simplicity of lifestyle, renewed commitment to prayer, and stronger financial accountability in parish administration.
He cited the teachings of Pope John Paul II, who reminded priests that despite loneliness and social change, they are strengthened by God’s power.
Villegas emphasized that while priests cannot stop wars abroad, they can wage a “fiercer battle” within themselves.
Villegas noted that priests do not hold the political power of global leaders such as Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
However, he stressed that priests have authority over their own souls and moral choices.
“The wars of the world will end when the wars of our souls cease,” he said.