Catholic leaders of the Philippines are commemorating the 39th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution, a series of popular demonstrations that protested and eventually ended the reign of Ferdinand Marcos in February 1986. The name EDSA comes from the main thoroughfare where demonstrators gathered, Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA)
The Inquirer reports that the Tuesday anniversary saw 163 Catholic religious (bishops, priests, nuns, etc.) encourage Filipinos to continue in the spirit of the revolution by standing against oppression and advocating for justice. They signed a joint statement titled, “Living Out the Spirit of EDSA: A Call to the Church People,” which explained that the revolution was not just a political action, but a “moral and spiritual awakening.”
The signatories included a variety of Catholic religious in various positions from apostolic vicars and bishops to priests and nuns. The list included members of the the Asia Missionary Sisters of St. Charles Borromeo, Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena, and even members from the United Church of Christ in the Philippines and the United Methodist Church.
“The victory of EDSA was not just a political triumph; it was a moral and spiritual awakening,” the statement reads. “It showed us that courage, compassion, and solidarity could break the chains of dictatorship.”
It went on to urge the faithful to be vocal when faced with injustices and indicated that that time might be now. They also indicated that the public must be vigilant to watch for any revisions of history and misinformation about the revolution.
“As a Church, we cannot be neutral. Silence in the face of injustice is complicity,” they said, urging the faithful to act as “the voice of the voiceless, to expose lies with truth, and to resist evil with love.”
They wrote, “Living out the spirit of EDSA means more than remembering history — it means embracing a continuing commitment to social transformation."
