Italian priest who worked in Philippines is named a cardinal 

MANILA, Philippines – An Italian-born priest who worked in the Philippines for eight years was among the 21 new cardinals named by Pope Francis on Sunday, October 6.

Father Fabio Baggio, a 59-year-old Scalabrinian priest, will be made a cardinal of the Catholic Church in a December 8 consistory along with Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David and other clergymen.

The Scalabrinians, also known as the Congregation of the Missionaries of Saint Charles, are a group of priests and religious lay brothers founded in 1887 and known for helping migrants, including overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Their 700 missionaries and 400 seminarians are present in the Philippines and 30 other countries.

Born in Bassano del Grappa, Italy, Baggio was director of the Scalabrini Migration Center in Barangay Pinyahan, Quezon City, from 2002 to 2010. The Scalabrini center is a research organization that studies and promotes the understanding of migration in Asia-Pacific. 

In the same years that he was at the Scalabrini Migration Center, he was also the editor of the Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, which discusses migration issues in the region.

Baggio, who has consistently advocated the ministry for migrants, is now undersecretary for the Migrants and Refugees Section of the Holy See’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

He also taught at the Maryhill School of Theology in Quezon City from 2004 to 2007, and at Ateneo de Manila University from 2008 to 2010.

In his new role as cardinal, Baggio will be one of the closest advisers or the Pope and also among those tasked to elect the pontiff’s successor.

There are only 235 cardinals in the 1.4-billion-strong Catholic Church as of September 28. Of this number, only 122 meet the age requirement — below 80 years old — to join the papal election called the conclave.

‘Grassroots worker, scholar, manager’

Scalabrini Press, the news service of the Scalabrinians, congratulated Baggio on the same day that Francis said he will be a cardinal. “We accompany our congratulations with prayer for the responsibilities that this appointment entails,” Scalabrini Press said in a Facebook post.

Jeremaiah Opiniano, a respected migration studies scholar and journalism instructor at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), said Baggio’s appointment as cardinal “is welcome in promoting migrant pastoral care at the level of cardinals.”

Opiniano, executive director of the Institute for Migration and Development Issues, recalled his experience working with Baggio and other Scalabrinian priests when the Italian cardinal-elect was in Manila from 2002 to 2010. 

Opiniano described Baggio as “a grassroots worker, a scholar, and a manager,” who can dabble in “multiple perspectives.”

“We hope Cardinal-elect Fabio Baggio, CS, will continue to press the migrant advocacy to the Church hierarchy, even with the established structures in place,” Opiniano told Rappler.

In various papers and presentations, Baggio has shown a deep understanding of migration in general and OFWs in particular. 

In February this year, at the UST, Baggio gave a presentation on the migrant workers’ ministry at the International Conference on the Theology of Priesthood. 

“Filipino migrants’ experiences encompass cultural adaptation, displacement, separation from loved ones, and often precarious living conditions. It is not easy for them to navigate complex immigration policies, cultural differences, and potential conflicts with host communities,” said in his paper titled “Beyond Borders: The Role of Priests in Ministering to Migrants.”

“In such a migration scenario, it is important to promote social justice, dignity, and human rights for migrants, highlighting the transforming power of intercultural dialogue and solidarity. The Catholic Church is called to cater to them through a specific pastoral care aimed at promoting their integral human development as well as strengthening the faith of the Catholic ones,” Baggio said. – Christelle Velasquez/Rappler.com

Christelle Velasquez is a Rappler intern taking up AB Journalism at the University of Santo Tomas.