In a poignant reflection for SunStar, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David looked back on the year 2025, a period declared by Pope Francis as a Year of Hope but marked by profound loss and challenge for the Philippines.
A Year of Contrasts: Papal Transition and National Anguish
The year held deep significance for the Catholic world, as it witnessed the passing of Pope Francis and the subsequent election of a new pontiff, Pope Leo. This transition left the global Church in mourning even as it welcomed new leadership. For many Filipinos, however, the feeling of hope was elusive. The nation grappled with a series of deep-seated crises and fresh calamities that tested its spirit.
Long-buried horrors resurfaced, including the unresolved plight of the missing sabungeros (cockfighting enthusiasts) and the continued wait for justice by families of drug war victims. Corruption scandals emerged, with flood control projects—intended as lifesavers—exposed as potential monuments to graft.
Visible Destruction and Silent Devastation
The country faced scenes of utter disaster. Communities were stranded on rooftops awaiting rescue, while flash floods carrying mud and boulders inundated crowded urban areas. Earthquakes reduced homes to rubble, and cars were piled like matchboxes. Beyond these physical tragedies, a quieter, more insidious devastation spread: the crisis of online gambling addiction, which unraveled families without the drama of floodwaters but with equal ruinous effect.
Political and social landscapes also fractured in unsettling ways. The public witnessed a former president arrested abroad for crimes against humanity, an impeachment process that faded without trial, and political dynasties shaken but not fallen. Sibling rivalries played out in public view, and a national budget inspired more doubt than confidence. Streets filled with protesters, institutions faltered, and public trust wore thin.
Finding Hope in the Darkness
Yet, Cardinal David argues, it is precisely within this darkness that authentic hope must be found. Echoing French philosopher Gabriel Marcel, he distinguishes hope from mere optimism. True hope, he writes, is born when despair seems most logical—like light that shines brightest not at noon, but at midnight.
This stubborn, fragile hope manifested in small but powerful acts throughout the year:
- Journalists who refused to be silenced.
- Ordinary citizens who maintained vigilant watch.
- Voters who delivered surprises to the powerful.
- Families who steadfastly refused to forget their lost loved ones.
- A people who, despite exhaustion, persistently ask: "Can we be better than this?"
Cardinal David concludes that 2025 may not have felt like a Year of Hope because genuine hope is demanding. It requires vigilance, memory, and moral courage—a refusal to surrender the future to cynicism. As the nation moves forward, he urges remembrance that hope is not a passive feeling during good times, but an active choice during the hardest times.
His Christmas message ends with a prayer: that the darkness of 2025 will not extinguish the Filipino spirit, but instead teach why hope remains essential. He invokes the God of surprises, born as a fragile child in Bethlehem, to once again shine a light in the darkness and surprise the people with hope where it is least expected.
