Manila, Philippines, Nov 8, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Cardinal Orlando Beltran Quevedo, OMI, archbishop emeritus of Cotabato, has spent a lifetime building bridges of understanding across the complex cultural and religious landscape of Mindanao, the Philippines’ second-largest island. 

Widely known as the region’s “Man of Peace,” Quevedo’s ministry has been defined by dialogue, compassion, and his belief that peace begins in the heart.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, as of July 1, 2024, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is home to 5.69 million Filipinos, the majority of whom are Muslim. 

The region is located on Mindanao, the Philippines’ second-largest island, with a total population of approximately 26 million. While BARMM has a Muslim majority, the Philippines as a whole — with a population of 112.7 million — remains a Christian-majority nation.

Winner of peace award for inspiring hope

In recognition of his decadeslong work for reconciliation among Christians, Muslims, and Lumad Indigenous communities, the Philippine government honored Quevedo, the first cardinal from Mindanao and a member of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, with the “Gawad Kapayapaan” (Peace Award) in September — a distinction given to individuals and institutions whose efforts advance peace and social cohesion.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) described Quevedo’s mission as one “for healing divisions and inspiring hope.” Officials cited his ability to unite faith leaders and ordinary citizens alike in a shared pursuit of understanding.

OPAPRU also honored Maria Veronica P. Tabara, a former revolutionary turned peace advocate, and the provincial government of Basilan with the Peace Award.

Now in its fourth year, the award recognizes leaders and institutions whose dedication to fostering mutual understanding, interfaith dialogue, and solidarity is bringing the nation closer to its vision of justice and lasting peace while inspiring all Filipinos to participate in this peace journey.

“Quevedo’s decades of service to the Church and communities in Mindanao show us that peace is built not only through institutions but through compassion, unity, and faith in humanity,” OPAPRU said.

Accepting the award, Quevedo said: “Peace is born in the heart. Let us continue building bridges — not only between communities but between hearts — for only together can we truly walk the path of peace.”

He dedicated the award to Muslims, Christians, and Lumads “who have labored quietly for peace.”

A life shaped by service and dialogue

Born March 11, 1939, in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte province, in the northern Philippines, Quevedo was ordained a priest in 1964 and became bishop of the Diocese of Kidapawan in 1982. After leading the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia, he was later appointed archbishop of Cotabato, witnessing firsthand the deep fractures of Mindanao — long affected by armed conflict, historical grievances, and economic inequality.

Additionally, he was president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines from 1999 to 2003 and head of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences from 2005 to 2011. Quevedo was made a cardinal in 2014.

Quevedo has devoted his ministry over the years to bridging divides. In 1996, he participated in the Bishops-Ulama Conference, a forum that brought together Catholic bishops, Protestant pastors, and Muslim ulama for dialogue and cooperation. The initiative remains a cornerstone of interfaith peacebuilding in the Philippines.

“Peace is born in the heart,” Quevedo often says. “It grows when we build bridges — not only between communities but between hearts.”

Peace and fellowship as witness to faith

Even after retiring in 2018, the cardinal remains a moral voice for peace in the BARMM, serving on its Council of Leaders. His advocacy now centers on addressing the root causes of conflict — inequality, exclusion, and mistrust — through education, inclusive governance, and people-to-people encounters.

He insists that peacebuilding cannot rely solely on institutions. “It is through compassion, unity, and respect for human dignity,” he has said, “that true peace takes root.”

Quevedo has spent years working among communities and building bridges where violence once tore them apart.

One of his goals is to bring religious leaders together in a place where they can discuss and plan ways to promote peace. He also wants to make it easier for them to talk to government agencies and other groups involved in reconciliation, with the right policies in place.

He believes in “the effects of ripples” — and that small steps always lead to significant changes. He says that a simple act of peace and openness can change the world in the most dangerous and dark places.

Quevedo urges people to respect differences in language, culture, and religion. His work aims to end violence and respect human dignity by linking community involvement to democratic values. He urges everyone to reach out to people with compassion and respect. In Mindanao, his approach has been to include children, youth, women, elders, religious leaders, government officials, and the public in promoting peace.

His dedication has resulted in tangible outcomes: Educational institutes, civil society groups, and public institutions have endorsed his initiatives for peace and fellowship.

Today, interfaith dialogue efforts are a sign of hope in the Philippines, thanks to people like Quevedo and many others. It indicates that peace isn’t just the lack of conflict; it’s also the presence of compassion and friendship.

Quevedo says that when people of different faiths walk together with open hearts and hope, healing starts and peace becomes not just possible but real. Such efforts, according to Quevedo, would enrich people’s life expressions and experiences across religions, and all would have a role to play as peace catalysts.

For many, Quevedo’s legacy lies not just in his ecclesial titles — bishop, archbishop, cardinal — but in his enduring witness to faith in action. His influence extends to educators, faith leaders, and grassroots advocates who continue his mission of dialogue and understanding.

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Washington, D.C., Nov 7, 2025 / 18:40 pm (CNA).

The Trump administration this week denounced a Chicago-based federal judge’s ruling that mandated cleanliness and hygiene standards as well as adequate legal representation at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Illinois.

Government lawyers said Nov. 7 they are in compliance or are in the midst of complying with the judge’s conditions. The detainees’ attorneys, however, say they “are doubtful” the government is “actually in compliance” with some of the conditions, “including as to facility cleaning, the provision of food and water, and the provision of prescription medication.” 

The detainees’ attorneys asked the court to conduct an inspection with an expert and have the government provide immediate proof of compliance.

Administration officials said an “activist judge” issued the temporary restraining order and based it on hoaxes, while religious and civil-rights advocates pressed for detainees’ access to the Eucharist. 

Access to Communion

A group of 19 spiritual leaders including six priests renewed a request to offer pastoral care and Communion at the Broadview facility in a Nov. 6 letter to ICE and asked to discuss “procedures by which our small delegation of religious ministers can be granted access.” The delegation bringing Communion was denied access Nov. 1.

The judge’s temporary restraining order followed an Oct. 30 lawsuit in which detainees claimed they were placed in unsanitary conditions, provided inadequate food and water, and unconstitutionally deprived of access to legal representation and spiritual care. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said ICE’s Broadview facility houses “criminal illegal aliens” whom it described as “some of the worst of the worst.”

“Some of the worst of the worst including pedophiles, gang members, and rapists have been processed through the facility in recent weeks,” Tricia McLaughlin, assistant Homeland Security secretary for public affairs, said in a Nov. 5 statement.

The list included Jose Manuel Escobar-Cardona, described by DHS as “a criminal illegal alien” from Honduras who was convicted of multiple charges of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor, assault, driving under the influence of liquor, making a false report, illegal reentry, and making a false report.

Also named by DHS was Alfonso Batalla-Garcia, “a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted of sex assault, kidnapping an adult to sexually assault, and homicide.”

Other detainees named by DHS included migrants who were said to have been convicted of drug trafficking, kidnapping, first-degree murder, and weapons trafficking. 

Publicly reported individuals detained by ICE in November also included a day care worker at the Rayito De Sol center, a Chicago preschool where the woman was removed in front of children.

Pope Leo XIV on Nov. 4 said: “Many people who’ve lived for years and years and years, never causing problems, have been deeply affected by what’s going on right now.” Leo invited authorities to allow pastoral workers to attend to the needs of detainees.

He reminded that “Jesus says very clearly … at the end of the world, we’re going to be asked … how did you receive the foreigner? Did you receive him and welcome him or not? And I think that there’s a deep reflection that needs to be made in terms of what’s happening.”

A detainee testified he spent six days at the Broadview ICE facility before Judge Robert Gettleman ordered bedding, three meals a day, free water, hygiene products, papers translated into Spanish, a clock in each hold room, and free phone service for detainees to talk to counsel. Gettleman also ordered DHS to list all detainees on the Locator Online Detainee Locator System of ICE.

DHS says facilities such as Broadview are designed to serve only as short-term holding centers, typically for about 12 hours, where individuals are briefly held for processing before being moved to longer-term detention facilities.

“Despite hoaxes spread by criminal illegal aliens, the complicit media, and now an activist judge, the ICE Broadview facility does not have subpar conditions,” McLaughlin said. She said detainees receive three meals a day, access to water, and proper medical care.

Neither McLaughlin’s statement nor the judge’s order addressed the lawsuit’s claims that Broadview detainees have been unconstitutionally denied access to faith leaders and clergy.

McLaughlin wrote on X that “religious organizations have ALWAYS been welcome to provide services to detainees in ICE detention facilities. Religious leaders may request access to facilities through proper channels and have those requests approved.”

McLaughlin also responded to questions from CNA, saying dangerous conditions — including belligerent actions and “attacks,” such as the use of tear gas, by protesters — and Broadview’s status as a short-term “field office” have prevented ICE from accommodating requests by religious organizations seeking access to detainees there.

“ICE staff has repeatedly informed religious organizations that, due to Broadview’s status as a field office and the ongoing threat to civilians, detainees, and officers, they are not able to accommodate these requests at this time,” McLaughlin told CNA. “Even before the attacks on the Broadview facility, it was not within standard operating procedure for religious services to be provided in a field office, as detainees are continuously brought in, processed, and transferred out.”

Chicago faith leaders wrote to ICE Nov. 7: “We understand that in past years ministers were granted access to the Broadview ICE facility for pastoral purposes. We also note public statements by DHS acknowledging detainees’ rights to chaplaincy and religious resources, while noting that requests for entry may require advance approval.”

‘Careful review’

Bishop Robert E. Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, who serves on the Department of Justice’s Religious Liberty Commission, said on X that senior officials in the U.S. government “assured” him that detainees in immigration custody will have access to Catholic sacraments and that the situation is “under careful review.”

The Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC) said in a email Nov. 7: “CLINIC is disturbed by these instances in which the human and constitutional right to religious practice is being restricted. We hope the administration follows up on its ‘careful review’ by rectifying this and taking further action.”

Pope Leo’s recent exhortation Dilexi Te says: “The Church, like a mother, accompanies those who are walking. Where the world sees threats, she sees children; where walls are built, she builds bridges. She knows that her proclamation of the Gospel is credible only when it is translated into gestures of closeness and welcome. And she knows that in every rejected migrant, it is Christ himself who knocks at the door of the community.”