Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle said the coming of the Christian faith to the Philippines is a gift from God.
"The coming of Christian faith to our lands is God's gift. The fact that the Christian faith was received by majority of the people who gave it a Filipino character is also a gift of God," he said in his message during a Mass at the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Sunday, March 14.
"Now, the Philippines has the third largest number of Catholics in the world. This is truly God’s gift," added Tagle.
He said the enduring faith of the Filipino people can be attributed to God's love, mercy and fidelity and not to any merit of our own.
As a gift, Tagle said Christian faith must continue being a gift by being shared and this is what Filipino migrants are doing in different parts of the world.
"If it is kept for itself it ceases to be a gift. By God’s mysterious design the gift of faith we receive is now being shared by the millions of Christian Filipino migrants in different parts of the world," he said.
"We pray that through our Filipino mgirants the name of Jesus, the beauty of the Church, the mercy and joy of God may reach the ends of the Earth," Tagle added.
Cardinal Tagle then thanked Pope Francis for celebrating the Mass for the Filipino community in Rome in celebration of the 500 years of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines.
"We treasure your concern for us and for all migrants in Rome," he said.
"Here in Rome, when we miss our grandparents, we know we have a 'Lolo Kiko','" added Tagle.
Tagle is the current prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.