At pilgrimage of hope, Cardinal Tagle warns against fear-driven leadership

By LiCAS News

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, opened the Great Pilgrimage of Hope in Penang, Malaysia, on November 27.

In a report by Radio Veritas Asia, the Cardinal contrasted two spiritual paths within Christian life, as he addressed delegates from across the region.

“We need more Magi, pilgrims who seek, listen, learn, and adore. We need fewer Herods, those trapped in fear, power, and despair. Come and join Jesus’ pilgrimage,” he told participants.

The Great Pilgrimage of Hope, the largest gathering of the Asian Church in two decades, opened with an inaugural ceremony and Mass presided over by Cardinal Sebastian Francis of Penang. 

Cardinal Tagle delivered the keynote address on the theme “Going a Different Way, Renewed Pilgrims of Hope.”

He urged the Asian Church not to tire of “telling the story of Jesus” and clarified that Christian hope is far deeper than positive thinking or escape. 

“Christian hope is a theological virtue, infused by God, with God as its origin and its goal,” he said, adding that true hope strengthens perseverance and “purifies our hearts so that the neighbor is loved as God loves.”

He invited delegates to examine the motivation behind their spiritual lives by asking: What gives real happiness? What motivates perseverance? Is charity directed to God’s Kingdom or one’s own advantage?

Cardinal Tagle turned to the Gospel story of the Magi to illustrate the choice between humility and fear.

The Magi, he said, embodied a “pilgrimage toward Jesus, guided by humility, openness, and light,” while Herod represented “a pilgrimage without Jesus, marked by fear, stagnation, and violence.”

Herod “did not move,” the Cardinal warned, noting how the pursuit of power immobilizes institutions and people. “If you have power, you have weight, and if you have weight, it is difficult to move.” 

He added that Herod’s paralysis became “contagious,” spreading fear among those around him.

By contrast, the Magi embraced humility, accepted their limitations, and asked for guidance. Their readiness to learn, Cardinal Tagle said, reflects the spirit of synodality.

He highlighted how the Magi responded immediately to revelation and found joy in Bethlehem, a place often overshadowed by power centers like Jerusalem. 

“There is much wisdom and joy in the small communities we sometimes overlook,” he said.

Herod, meanwhile, reacted to Jesus’ birth with disturbance and violence, unable to accept joy in others. “Hopeless people are not joyful,” Cardinal Tagle said.

The Cardinal Prefect closed with a story of getting lost during a recent foreign visit, a mistake that led him instead to meet two Filipino migrant workers who sought prayers and shared their hardships. 

“I realized I did not get lost,” he said. “Jesus led me to that path.”

He reminded delegates that the heart of Christian life is always a journey shaped by Christ. “Jesus takes a different way. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is our star, our goal, our hope.”

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