CBCP Plenary Assembly: Newly appointed bishop links protection of unborn life to ‘crisis of intimacy’
A newly appointed Catholic bishop has urged the Church to defend unborn life not through condemnation or argument, but through compassion, accompaniment, and the healing of broken human relationships, warning of a growing “crisis of intimacy” in modern society.
San Jose Diocese Bishop Samuel Naceno Agcaracar made the call during his homily at the Thanksgiving Mass of the 131st Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), held at St. Jude Parish, Metro Manila. The Mass marked his first Eucharistic thanksgiving with the CBCP, just five days after his episcopal appointment.
“I am the youngest bishop by appointment,” Agcaracar said with humility, drawing warm response from fellow bishops. He expressed gratitude for the fraternity and support of his brother bishops as he begins a new chapter of ministry.
The Mass coincided with the Church’s Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. Agcaracar emphasized that the observance is not meant to argue or condemn, but to foster prayer, listening, and compassion, citing St. John Paul II’s Evangelium Vitae, which calls for the Gospel of life to be proclaimed “with love, mercy, and hope.”
Reflecting on recent CBCP discussions on artificial intelligence, Agcaracar said one of the defining struggles of the present age is a “crisis of intimacy,” where technology and misplaced attachments can replace genuine human encounter.
He shared a personal experience from his time as executive director of the SVD Laudato Si’ Farm in Tagaytay, where a dispute over pet policies led him to reflect on how care for animals, while good, can sometimes overshadow human relationships. “Many people today long to be heard, understood, and affirmed,” he said, warning that when intimacy is missing, fear grows and decisions—especially difficult ones—become more painful.
Agcaracar said this context helps explain why the Church continues to pray and work for the protection of unborn children, whom he described as “the smallest and most vulnerable members of our human family.”
Citing Gaudium et Spes, he stressed that defending life goes beyond laws and principles and requires a pastoral commitment to walk with mothers and families facing crisis pregnancies. “What they need most is not condemnation but presence, not rejection but accompaniment,” he said.
Addressing devotees of St. Jude, patron of hopeless cases, the bishop reminded the faithful that no life is a burden and no situation is beyond God’s mercy.
“This Eucharist invites us to be a Church that defends life with compassion, heals the wounds of fear, restores intimacy, and helps our people rediscover meaning,” Agcaracar said, describing the call as a missionary imperative and the essence of synodality.
