Pope greets devotees, calls for reflection, unity

As Cebu City caps off the Fiesta Señor celebration, Pope Leo XIV echoes his greetings to Santo Niño devotees with a message centered on reflection on unity and a call to cascade charity and solidarity to those on the margins of society.

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Through Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, Pope Leo XIV sent warm greetings to the faithful celebrating the 461st Fiesta Señor at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño in Cebu, where he highlighted the feast as a time to reflect on the unity and grace received in baptism, which welcomes every life into the Church.

In his letter dated January 5, 2026, the Pope expressed hope that the annual feast, guided by the theme “In Santo Niño we are one,” would inspire the faithful to live out their baptismal call through a grace-filled life in Christ.