Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila gives Communion during Mass to a child in a Manila urban poor community. (Photo by George Moya)
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila urged Catholics to not only pray and fast during the Lenten season but also to help feed hungry children in the Philippines.
"In this season of Lent, we are especially called to imitate the generosity of God, particularly towards the poor and disadvantaged," said the prelate in a pastoral letter.
In his exhortation for the celebration of Ash Wednesday on March 1, Cardinal Tagle said, "mercy demands that we not simply stand by and do nothing."
"Those who are weak and vulnerable ... ought to feel the presence of brothers and sisters who can help them in their need," said the prelate.
The cardinal urged Filipinos to support Manila Archdiocese's Fast2Feed campaign, which aims to feed hungry and malnourished children in poor communities.
The campaign is part of the archdiocese's Table of Hope project that was launched in 2005 and has already fed about 1.6 million children around the country.
The program aims to raise funds to feed at least 20,000 children this year from donations from people who fast and save money for the children.
"It only takes [US$24] for six months, or [US$0.20] per day to bring back a hungry and undernourished child to a healthy state," said Cardinal Tagle.
Aside from its supplemental feeding program, the project also offers early childhood education for the poor.
A survey conducted by pollster Social Weather Stations in December 2016 revealed that Filipino families who went hungry in the last three months of last year numbered 3.1 million.