Cardinal: Gadgets cannot replace people as missionaries

By Rhaydz Barcia

LEGAZPI CITY --- Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, Dean of the College of Cardinals, reminded Catholics that while technology can help advance the Church’s mission, only people—not gadgets, social media posts or buildings—can become missionaries and bring others to faith.

Presiding over the Holy Mass marking the 75th anniversary of the canonical erection of the Diocese of Legazpi and the Pontifical Coronation of the venerated image of Nuestra Señora de Salvación on Wednesday, Tagle challenged the faithful to examine whether their growing dependence on technology was taking time and attention away from personal encounters with others.

“Gadget will not come to faith. Your cellphone will not say one day, ‘I believe.’ Your cellphone will tell you, ‘Upgrade me.’ But it will not say, ‘I believe in God.’ Gadgets will not believe; only persons will come to faith,” Tagle said in his homily at St. Gregory the Great Cathedral.

“So, why do you spend more time facing gadgets than facing persons? Is that a missionary Church? I don’t know. Posts will not believe. Buildings will not believe. Only persons have the mind, the heart, the soul and the spirit to say, ‘I believe, I love, I hope,’” he added.

The cardinal acknowledged that gadgets, social media, technology and church infrastructure are valuable instruments in evangelization but stressed that they cannot replace the personal commitment of believers.

“Gadgets, posts, technology and buildings are a big help to our mission, but they are not the missionaries. Only flesh-and-blood persons can be missionaries,” he said.

Tagle also expressed concern over the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in preparing homilies, emphasizing that the proclamation of faith should be rooted in the heart, personal experience and a genuine relationship with God.

He urged the faithful not to waste the gifts they have received from God but instead share them through righteous living and service to others.

“Don’t waste your gift,” he said.

Sustain missionary mission

Tagle commended the Diocese of Legazpi for its spiritual, communal, pastoral and missionary initiatives during the preparatory phase of its Diamond Jubilee, urging the local Church to sustain these efforts beyond the celebration.

He also encouraged devotees to seek the guidance of the Blessed Virgin Mary whenever they feel distant from Jesus.

“When you feel you are drifting away from Jesus, reach out to the hand of Our Lady of Salvación, whose hand is always outstretched to catch us and bring us closer to Jesus. And she will assure us, ‘Do whatever He tells you,’ which is to go and tell the Good News,” he said.

Tagle described the Diocese of Legazpi as the fruit of generations of missionaries and ordinary people who helped spread the Gospel through their respective vocations and daily lives.

He said the diocese was shaped by the mission of Jesus, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the apostles and countless missionaries, religious, clergy, bishops, parents, grandparents, teachers, friends, catechists, fishermen and farmers.

Through their everyday lives, he said, these people introduced Jesus to their families and passed on their faith to succeeding generations.

Historic Pontifical Coronation

The Diamond Jubilee celebration, anchored on the theme “Biniyayaan. Inaantabayan. Sinusugo” (Blessed. Watched over. Sent forth), also marked a historic milestone in Marian devotion in Bicol with the Pontifical Coronation of the venerated image of Nuestra Señora de Salvación, the patroness of the Diocese of Legazpi and the Heavenly Queen of Albay.

The coronation was authorized by Pope Leo XIV through a decree issued by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, following a petition from the Diocese of Legazpi led by Bishop Joel Z. Baylon.

Fr. Gem Norries Penetrante, diocesan chancellor, read the papal decree in Latin, English and Bicol before the coronation ceremony.

The event was attended by Cardinal Tagle, Cardinal Orlando B. Quevedo, bishops from different parts of the country, an apostolic nuncio emeritus, an apostolic administrator, priests, religious sisters and government officials.

Albay Gov. Noel E. Rosal served as one of the civil witnesses during the signing of the Actus Coronationis Pontificalis, the official document attesting to the papal mandate authorizing the coronation.

In his Diocesan Circular No. 36, Series of 2026, Bishop Baylon explained the historical distinction between the coronation of the image in 1976 and the present Pontifical Coronation.

He said the Dicastery, in a letter dated November 17, 2025 (Prot. N. 694/25), clarified after reviewing its archival records that the image venerated at the Diocesan Shrine in Joroan, Tiwi, Albay, had not previously received a Pontifical Coronation.

According to the Dicastery’s historical account, then Bishop of Legazpi Teotimo C. Pacis requested from Pope Paul VI on January 21, 1976, the privilege of a canonical coronation for the image.

In its response dated February 3, 1976, the competent Vatican congregation explained that a pontifical rescript was unnecessary because the local bishop already had the authority to crown the image.

Consequently, the coronation conducted that year by then Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin was a diocesan coronation rather than one granted through a papal concession.

Baylon emphasized that the clarification did not diminish the spiritual significance of the 1976 celebration, which remains an important expression of the faith and Marian devotion of the Albayanos.

He also clarified that the recognition of Nuestra Señora de Salvación as patroness of the Diocese of Legazpi and the Pontifical Coronation of her image were two separate ecclesiastical acts.

The decree issued on February 7, 1977, confirming her patronage, followed by a brief issued on behalf of Pope Paul VI, recognized her as the heavenly patroness of the diocese but did not grant a Pontifical Coronation.

The forthcoming celebration therefore constituted the first Pontifical Coronation of the venerated image, authorized through the Dicastery’s decree, Prot. N. 679/26.

Cathedral celebration

Baylon explained that holding the Pontifical Coronation at St. Gregory the Great Cathedral, the mother church of the Diocese of Legazpi, symbolized the unity of the entire diocesan community in honoring its patroness.

He said that while the Diocesan Shrine in Joroan, Tiwi, remains the cherished home of the venerated image and a destination for pilgrims, celebrating the coronation at the cathedral affirmed that devotion to Nuestra Señora de Salvación belongs to the entire diocese.

The bishop called on priests, consecrated persons, catechists and community leaders to explain the historical and ecclesiastical significance of the coronation with clarity and pastoral sensitivity.

He also urged the faithful to allow the celebration to renew their commitment to God’s Word, the sacraments and service to people most in need.

Baylon expressed gratitude to Tagle for accepting the invitation to preside over the jubilee celebration, as well as to Cardinal Quevedo, the participating bishops, priests, religious communities and government officials who joined the historic occasion.

He prayed that the faithful would continue to share the Gospel with the same enthusiasm as the disciples who encountered Jesus on the road to Emmaus.

Based on police records, more than 6,000 devotees attended the celebration at St. Gregory the Great Cathedral. The gathering included 15 bishops, a nuncio emeritus, an apostolic administrator, more than 100 priests and over 100 religious sisters.