From the Website of CBCP
From:https://cbcpnews.net/cbcpnews/cbcp-official-sees-ramadan-lent-start-as-chance-for-interreligious-peace/
From:https://cbcpnews.net/cbcpnews/cbcp-official-sees-ramadan-lent-start-as-chance-for-interreligious-peace/
CBCP official sees Ramadan, Lent start as chance for interreligious peace
The simultaneous start of Ramadan and the Lenten season this year presents a rare opportunity for Muslims and Christians to strengthen interfaith solidarity and work for peace, a Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines official said.
Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, chairman of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Inter-Religious Dialogue, said the shared Feb. 18 start of the two sacred seasons is “a grace” that invites believers to prayer, repentance and concrete action for peace, justice and care for the environment.
“In a world marked by violence and division, this moment calls us not only to pray for peace, but to live it and work for it,” said Bagaforo, who is also co-president of global Catholic peace movement PAX Christi International.
He said both Ramadan and Lent emphasize fasting, generosity and compassion for the poor, underscoring that faith must transform both the heart and social action.
“Fasting opens our eyes to suffering and enlarges our compassion,” Bagaforo said. “Love of God is proven in love of neighbors, especially the poor and the forgotten.”
The Kidapawan bishop also pointed to shared Christian and Muslim teachings on stewardship of the environment, warning that ecological destruction undermines peace itself.
He said harm to forests, water and land reflects broken relationships not only with nature but also with one another.
“Caring for our common home is therefore an essential work of peace,” Bagaforo said.
He also cited the Church’s Alay Kapwa (offering of oneself to one’s neighbor) Lenten program as an example of lived fraternity in the country, describing it as more than charity.
He said the program promotes a way of seeing others as kapwa, or shared humanity, and links prayer and sacrifice to service for communities affected by poverty, conflict, disasters and ecological harm.
“[It is] a way of seeing the other as kapwa—one who shares our humanity and our future,” he said.
Bagaforo urged interreligious communities and civil society groups to pray and work together, saying peace cannot be achieved through force or fear.
“True peace is not built by weapons,” the prelate added. “It is built through trust, justice, dialogue, and shared responsibility.”
“Let us respond together to the wounds of our world. These are sacred tasks. These are works of peace,” he also said.
Read the full text of Bishop Bagaforo’s statement:
ON THE SHARED OBSERVANCE OF RAMADAN AND THE LENTEN SEASON 2026
This year, the holy month of Ramadan and the Lenten Season (Ash Wednesday) begin together on 18 February. This shared beginning is a grace. It invites us to slow down, to return to God, and to walk together in faith.
In these sacred seasons, Muslims and Christians enter a time of prayer, fasting, repentance, and generosity. We turn our hearts to the Merciful. We learn again to see one another as brothers and sisters. Our sacred texts call us to peace: “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9), and God “invites all to the Home of Peace” (Qur’an 10:25). In a world marked by violence and division, this moment calls us not only to pray for peace, but to live it and work for it.
Ramadan and Lent remind us that faith must transform the heart and shape our actions. Fasting opens our eyes to suffering and enlarges our compassion. Love of God is proven in love of neighbors, especially the poor and the forgotten. As Jesus teaches, what we do for the least, we do for God (Matthew 25:40). The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) likewise taught that the best among us are those who do good for others.
Peace, however, is more than the absence of war. It is the right relationship—with God, with one another, and with creation. Both our faith traditions teach that the earth is a sacred trust. Pope Francis, in Laudato Si’, reminds us that the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor are one. The Qur’an teaches that humanity is entrusted as khalifa, stewards of God’s creation. When forests are destroyed, waters poisoned, and land abused, peace is broken. Caring for our common home is therefore an essential work of peace.
In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis speaks of human fraternity and social friendship. He reminds us that we are created to live together, not against one another. No one is meant to be excluded. No one is meant to be left behind. This vision of fraternity resonates deeply with both Ramadan and Lent. Peace grows where mutual respect is practiced, where dialogue replaces suspicion, and where solidarity becomes a way of life.
In the Philippines, this spirit of fraternity is lived through Alay Kapwa, a Lenten offering whose name means “offering to one’s neighbor.” It is not simply an act of charity, but a way of seeing the other as kapwa—one who shares our humanity and our future. Through Alay Kapwa, prayer becomes service, and sacrifice becomes hope for communities affected by poverty, conflict, disaster, and ecological harm.
Guided by Pope Leo’s World Day of Peace message, “Towards an Unarmed and Disarming Peace,” we are reminded that true peace is not built by weapons or fear. It is built through trust, justice, dialogue, and shared responsibility. Peace must be patient. Peace must be inclusive. Peace must be lived.
I therefore invite our Christian and Muslim communities, our interreligious dialogue desks, and our partners in civil society to pray together and to work together. Let us care for the poor. Let us protect creation. Let us educate for peace. Let us respond together to the wounds of our world. These are sacred tasks. These are works of peace.
May this shared observance of Ramadan and Lent become a living prayer. A prayer spoken through fasting and generosity. A prayer lived through fraternity, compassion, and care for our common home.
May God, the Merciful and Compassionate, guide our steps and make us instruments of His peace.
MOST REV. JOSE COLIN M. BAGAFORO, D.D.
Bishop, Diocese of Kidapawan
Chairman, CBCP Commission on Inter-Religious Dialogue
Co-President, PAX Christi International
Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, chairman of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Inter-Religious Dialogue, said the shared Feb. 18 start of the two sacred seasons is “a grace” that invites believers to prayer, repentance and concrete action for peace, justice and care for the environment.
“In a world marked by violence and division, this moment calls us not only to pray for peace, but to live it and work for it,” said Bagaforo, who is also co-president of global Catholic peace movement PAX Christi International.
He said both Ramadan and Lent emphasize fasting, generosity and compassion for the poor, underscoring that faith must transform both the heart and social action.
“Fasting opens our eyes to suffering and enlarges our compassion,” Bagaforo said. “Love of God is proven in love of neighbors, especially the poor and the forgotten.”
The Kidapawan bishop also pointed to shared Christian and Muslim teachings on stewardship of the environment, warning that ecological destruction undermines peace itself.
He said harm to forests, water and land reflects broken relationships not only with nature but also with one another.
“Caring for our common home is therefore an essential work of peace,” Bagaforo said.
He also cited the Church’s Alay Kapwa (offering of oneself to one’s neighbor) Lenten program as an example of lived fraternity in the country, describing it as more than charity.
He said the program promotes a way of seeing others as kapwa, or shared humanity, and links prayer and sacrifice to service for communities affected by poverty, conflict, disasters and ecological harm.
“[It is] a way of seeing the other as kapwa—one who shares our humanity and our future,” he said.
Bagaforo urged interreligious communities and civil society groups to pray and work together, saying peace cannot be achieved through force or fear.
“True peace is not built by weapons,” the prelate added. “It is built through trust, justice, dialogue, and shared responsibility.”
“Let us respond together to the wounds of our world. These are sacred tasks. These are works of peace,” he also said.
Read the full text of Bishop Bagaforo’s statement:
ON THE SHARED OBSERVANCE OF RAMADAN AND THE LENTEN SEASON 2026
This year, the holy month of Ramadan and the Lenten Season (Ash Wednesday) begin together on 18 February. This shared beginning is a grace. It invites us to slow down, to return to God, and to walk together in faith.
In these sacred seasons, Muslims and Christians enter a time of prayer, fasting, repentance, and generosity. We turn our hearts to the Merciful. We learn again to see one another as brothers and sisters. Our sacred texts call us to peace: “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9), and God “invites all to the Home of Peace” (Qur’an 10:25). In a world marked by violence and division, this moment calls us not only to pray for peace, but to live it and work for it.
Ramadan and Lent remind us that faith must transform the heart and shape our actions. Fasting opens our eyes to suffering and enlarges our compassion. Love of God is proven in love of neighbors, especially the poor and the forgotten. As Jesus teaches, what we do for the least, we do for God (Matthew 25:40). The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) likewise taught that the best among us are those who do good for others.
Peace, however, is more than the absence of war. It is the right relationship—with God, with one another, and with creation. Both our faith traditions teach that the earth is a sacred trust. Pope Francis, in Laudato Si’, reminds us that the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor are one. The Qur’an teaches that humanity is entrusted as khalifa, stewards of God’s creation. When forests are destroyed, waters poisoned, and land abused, peace is broken. Caring for our common home is therefore an essential work of peace.
In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis speaks of human fraternity and social friendship. He reminds us that we are created to live together, not against one another. No one is meant to be excluded. No one is meant to be left behind. This vision of fraternity resonates deeply with both Ramadan and Lent. Peace grows where mutual respect is practiced, where dialogue replaces suspicion, and where solidarity becomes a way of life.
In the Philippines, this spirit of fraternity is lived through Alay Kapwa, a Lenten offering whose name means “offering to one’s neighbor.” It is not simply an act of charity, but a way of seeing the other as kapwa—one who shares our humanity and our future. Through Alay Kapwa, prayer becomes service, and sacrifice becomes hope for communities affected by poverty, conflict, disaster, and ecological harm.
Guided by Pope Leo’s World Day of Peace message, “Towards an Unarmed and Disarming Peace,” we are reminded that true peace is not built by weapons or fear. It is built through trust, justice, dialogue, and shared responsibility. Peace must be patient. Peace must be inclusive. Peace must be lived.
I therefore invite our Christian and Muslim communities, our interreligious dialogue desks, and our partners in civil society to pray together and to work together. Let us care for the poor. Let us protect creation. Let us educate for peace. Let us respond together to the wounds of our world. These are sacred tasks. These are works of peace.
May this shared observance of Ramadan and Lent become a living prayer. A prayer spoken through fasting and generosity. A prayer lived through fraternity, compassion, and care for our common home.
May God, the Merciful and Compassionate, guide our steps and make us instruments of His peace.
MOST REV. JOSE COLIN M. BAGAFORO, D.D.
Bishop, Diocese of Kidapawan
Chairman, CBCP Commission on Inter-Religious Dialogue
Co-President, PAX Christi International
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