Cooperation and Collaboration, Sub Umbra Petri

Speech of H.E., Most Rev. Charles John Brown, D.D., Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines

June 10, 2026 | Civic and Liturgical Reception, and Solemn Proclamation of Holy Rosary Parish as a Minor Basilica

Part I: Speech During the Civic and Liturgical Reception

Thank you very much. Thank you, everyone. In the first place, I want to thank your Honorable Mayor Carmelo “Jon” Lazatin, for having invited me to come to Angeles once again. It is great to be with all of you this morning. Thank you very much. To your parish priest, to all of us gathered here on this wonderful occasion, the day in which your beautiful and historic church, Holy Rosary Parish, here in Angeles City, will be elevated to the status of a minor basilica. This is an incredible honor that's bestowed on very few churches throughout the world by Pope Leo XIV, and that honor comes to your church today, based on its very distinguished history and very important heritage that's represented by the Church.

Whenever we have a civic reception like this, I like to reflect on the fact that the Church and the State, the Government and the Diocese are different realities. We have, of course, a separation of church and state. The church is not the state, the state is not the church; but when we collaborate, cooperate, and coordinate our efforts (as we're doing this morning in this wonderful civic reception), when we show our unity, our collaboration, what we're indicating is that together, church and state work for the good of the Filipino people.

We can say that ultimately the Church's responsibility is spiritual, ultimately, and the state's responsibility is material. That means to make our lives prosperous, safe, and wonderful. Together, since a human person is body and soul, we're both spirit and body, these two realities are not completely different from one another. They come together, they intersect: the spiritual and the material. That's why the Church and State need to cooperate for the good of the Filipino people.

That's what this wonderful civic reception, organized by Mayor Carmelo “Jon” Lazatin, has really represented for me as your apostolic nuncio.

So, having come from Manila this morning, it gives me great joy to be with you. In about an hour or so, we'll begin the Mass in which your church will receive this incredible papal honor, to be elevated as a minor basilica.

May God bless each and every one of you.

It's a very happy day.

Thank you. Thank you.

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Part II: Solemn Proclamation of Holy Rosary Parish as a Minor Basilica

Sub Umbra Petri

Your Eminence Jose Cardinal Advincula, Metropolitan Archbishop of Manila;

Your Eminence Pablo Virgilio S. Cardinal David, Bishop of Kalookan;

Your Grace, the Most Rev. Florentino G. Lavarias, the Metropolitan Archbishop of San Fernando;

Our newly elevated Monsignor Manuel C. Sta. Maria, Parish Priest and Rector of the Basilica, the new Basilica of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary here in Angeles City;

brother bishops who have come from near and far;

concelebrating priests;

government officials;

all of you, the people of God, many of whom have been standing for this entire liturgy:

I have utmost admiration for all of you who have been standing inside and outside the basilica this morning, on this absolutely joyous occasion, the moment of the Solemn Proclamation of Holy Rosary Parish here in Angeles as a Minor Basilica.

When we reflect on the notion of a basilica, I just have one image I would like to communicate with you. About a year ago, after Pope Leo XIV was elected Holy Father, he called all the nuncios from around the world to Rome to meet with him for a couple of days. Almost exactly a year ago.

So, of course, in obedience, I came from Manila to Rome, met with the Holy Father for a few days, and at the end of those meetings with the nuncios, Holy Father Leo XIV gave each of us a small gift to remember this experience. The gift was a ring. Of course, the ring is the symbol of a bishop. What's interesting is that inside each ring, Holy Father had written three words in Latin: sub umbra Petri.  “Sub” = “under”, “umbra” = “shadow” “Petri” = “[of] Peter”, “Under the shadow of Peter”. “Under the shadow of Saint Peter.”

Why is this an important image for us this morning? In the Acts of the Apostles (5:15-16), we read that the early Christian community, when they were worshiping early on, still in the Temple in Jerusalem, before it was destroyed, when Peter would go to the Temple to pray, people in Jerusalem would bring the sick into the street and lay the sick people on mats (this is in the Acts of the Apostles), on mats on the side of the street. The Acts of the Apostles said that they did this so that just the shadow of Saint Peter might pass over them. For the sick under the shadow of Peter, the shade of Peter received healing.

“They carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them. A large number of people from the towns in the vicinity of Jerusalem also gathered, bringing the sick and those disturbed by unclean spirits, and they were all cured” (Acts 5:15-16).

We have this beautiful image of the shade, the shadow cast by Saint Peter, this healing shadow, this protective shadow, this beautiful shadow. In a certain sense, the nuncios around the world extend the shadow of St. Peter over an entire world, because each of us is a representative of St. Peter.

Why am I talking about that? Sub Umbra Petri. If you look directly behind me in the sanctuary to the left of the altar, you see the two principal images of a basilica: the bell, which would be brought in Rome, in front of the Pope, as he visited parishes to announce that he was arriving. The bell would be ringing, people would then know the Pope was arriving. The other symbol is the one I want to focus on. It is the umbrella. Sub Umbra Petri, Sub Umbra Petri. Umbrella. An umbrella casts a shadow. The word umbrella comes from “shadow” in Latin.

So, what is a basilica? A Basilica is a Church that has elevated so close to the heart of Saint Peter and his successor, that his shadow is falling on us in this Basilica. That is what the umbrella signifies, the shadow of Saint Peter. We are Sub Umbra Petri here. That shadow of healing, of strength, of protection.

That's why in a basilica, if you come and pray for the intentions of a Holy Father, and fulfill the other requirements, you can receive a plenary indulgence, which is a spiritual privilege not given to every Church, but given to a basilica Sub Umbra Petri.

So, for me, as your apostolic nuncio, having come this morning from Taft Avenue in Manila, with the Counsellor of the Apostolic Nunciature, Monsignor Giuseppe Trentadue, on behalf of Pope Leo XIV, it gives me so much joy to be with you this morning under the shadow of Peter. Under the shadow, the protective healing shadow of the successor of Peter, Pope Leo XIV. In his name, I congratulate all of you on this honor, on this designation of your wonderful parish church. Where, of course, Cardinal David served as a priest and his parish priest. This church now elevated and proclaimed, your parish of the Most Holy Rosary of Our Lady, as a Minor Basilica.

We thank Our Lady. We see her beautiful image above the altar. We ask Mama Mary to intercede for us to keep us close to the successor of Peter, so that we can feel his protective shadow.

May God bless each and every one of you!

Transcribe by Joel V. Ocampo

Pictures by DZRV 846.