Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle told Catholics that authentic friendship is a privileged path for evangelization, one that makes the face of Jesus and the Church visible in people’s lives. Speaking at the “Heart-to-Heart: Friendship and Accompaniment with Cardinal Chito Tagle” dialogue on July 24 at the Pontifical University of Santo Tomas in Manila, the Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization addressed participants of the 12th Philippine Conference on the New Evangelization (PCNE XII).
Cardinal Jose Advincula also joined in urging Catholics to embrace authentic friendship and patient accompaniment as essential paths to evangelization, Christian discipleship, and communion.The conversation brought together religious and lay leaders, including Sister Mary Joanine Bolisay, SPC, Fr. Dean Jerome Cruz, Bro. Artemio Manuben, OFS, Anne and Billie Dumaliang, and Joy Cancio, who shared personal experiences of friendship and accompaniment in their vocations.
Throughout the dialogue, Cardinal Tagle emphasized that genuine friendship requires openness, patience, and the courage to speak the truth with love.“Do not be afraid to build friendships,” he said. “The seeds of friendship that you sow now will become the harvest of vocation in the future.”He noted that authentic friends are not only sources of comfort, but also companions willing to offer honest guidance.
“Sometimes, a true friend has the courage to tell you the things you do not want to hear,” he said.The Cardinal also encouraged Catholics to cultivate friendships marked by truth, charity, and faithful accompaniment.A missionary and stewardship dimension
Cardinal Tagle stressed that friendship has a missionary dimension.
“We should not discount the role of friendship in making the face of Jesus, the face of the Church, real to people,” he said.He also linked friendship with Christian stewardship, describing care for creation and for one another as a concrete response to God’s love.
“Caring for creation and for each other as a response to the Creator—that is an act of friendship,” he said.Concluding the dialogue, the cardinal reminded participants that every authentic Christian friendship begins with Christ.
“What brought us together here is our common friendship with the Lord, who was the first to consider us His friends,” he said.