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Pope Leo XIV fondly remembered by Filipinos he met on past visits
Pope Leo XIV fondly remembered by Filipinos he met on past visits
At A Glance
- Filipinos who had personal encounters with Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, OSA, recall his humility, simplicity, and deep connection with local communities.
BIÑAN CITY, Laguna – Filipinos who encountered Pope Leo XIV during his past visits to the Philippines expressed joy and pride upon learning of his election as pope.
Before becoming the head of the Catholic Church, Cardinal Robert Prevost, OSA, visited the Philippines several times in his former role as Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine (OSA)—the highest-ranking leader of the religious order worldwide.
One of the Filipinos who had a close encounter with the pope is Angustia S. Segubre, program head and former dean of Colegio San Agustin–Biñan (CSA-Biñan) College Department.
In 2012, Prevost led an installation event in Cebu City at which Segubre was one of the individuals conferred the title of an Augustinian Affiliate, a recognition given to laypersons who have rendered dedicated service to the Augustinian mission.
Prevost himself signed the certificate, which was awarded in Cebu City.
“Kaninang umaga, nang malaman ko na siya ang papa (This morning, when I learned that he is the pope), goosebumps. What flashed back on my mind was the time I encountered him face-to-face,” Segubre told the Manila Bulletin on Friday, May 9.
“Immediately, I searched for my certificate, and I was so happy telling my children, ‘Look, look! He conferred on me the title of Augustinian Affiliate!”
Segubre had another chance to meet Prevost when she visited the OSA headquarters in Rome, Italy, in 2017. That encounter left a lasting impression on her because of his approachable nature.
“He wore a very simple get-up, he was a very simple man,” she said. “Because he is a missionary man, maybe we will be really learning from him how to reach out to the people, starting from the grassroots.”
Rev. Fr. Ric Anthony A. Reyes, OSA, CSA-Biñan Vice President for Augustinian Formation and Religious Affairs, had the opportunity to meet Prevost face-to-face on multiple occasions during his visits to the Philippines.
The first of those encounters was when Reyes was still a seminarian back in 2004.
“We were given an audience. Opportunity niya na rin na makipag-usap sa amin na mga young na naga-aspire na maging Augustinian priests and friars at that time. May mga tanong kami and he was able to answer those questions. (We were given an audience. It was also his opportunity to speak with us, young men aspiring to become Augustinian priests and friars at that time. We had questions, and he was able to answer them),” Reyes said.
The priest also shared that what stood out most during those encounters was Prevost’s humility and simplicity.
“Kung ano ang kinakain namin bilang mga Pilipino sa community namin, he shares it with us… As seminarians, simple yung mga pagkain. Yung mga simpleng pagkain, kinakain niya. Kumakain siya ng adobo, ng kanin, kasama namin (He shares the same food we eat as Filipinos in our community. As seminarians, our meals were simple—but he ate those same simple dishes with us. He would eat adobo and rice with us),” Reyes recounted.
With Prevost being the first Augustinian pope, Reyes says he looks forward to a leadership rooted in Augustinian values.
“We are living the core values of unitas, caritas, and veritas. All these things are deeply related. And of these three things, Cardinal Prevost, in his message, valued unity. Sabi niya makikipag-dialogue siya (He said he would engage in dialogue),” Reyes stated.
“He quoted Augustine when he said, ‘For you I am a bishop, but with you, I am a Christian.’ Unity among the people ang nakikita ko, expected ko, na gagawin niya. (What I see and expect from him is unity among the people).”