Raymond Alikpala

Government employee; author, Of God and Men: A Life in the Closet, released by Maverick House (a.k.a. God Loves Bakla).

[Paulina Guzik @Guzik_Paulina]

I just play it on repeat since yesterday:

"Hello Pope Leo XIV, I'm Renzo, I'm six years old.
I'd like to ask you a few questions."

Renzo, a little a boy from the poor neighborhood of Barcelona, stole the show yesterday at St. Augustine's parish, a place where Pope Leo admitted he "feels at home."

Renzo in the sweetest way ever asked those questions to the pope:
Do you like soccer?
When you were little, did you want to be Pope?
Why are my mom and dad worried?
Why does my dad have so many jobs?
Why do bad things happen to some people and not to others? Whose fault is it?
Why are there so many people living on the streets? Does no one see them? Does no one help them?
How can we help if the world is so big?
Does God want there to be poor and rich?
Why are there so many lonely grandparents, if they are so important?
And one last question ... Must we always forgive?

What pope Leo answered the boy was really moving.

"Regarding whether I like football, I confess that I play tennis and I enjoy it very much, but I also appreciate football; in fact, during my years as bishop in Peru, I liked to follow how some local teams were doing; and now, as Pope, I have also received football clubs and sports groups," the pope said, adding that "sport is important because it helps us grow up healthy in body and mind."

He said that as World Cup unfolds, "many will be watching the matches. Football reminds us of something we must not forget: life is not a race to show off alone, but a path we learn to travel together."

"Whoever doesn't know how to pass the ball, even if they have talent, hasn't yet understood the game. And whoever doesn't know how to live with others and for others hasn't yet understood life."

Answering whether he wanted to be Pope when he was little, the pope said: "Well, Renzo, I don't think so. I don't think I ever thought about it."

"But I can tell you something: from a young age, I felt the desire to dedicate my life to God. I didn't yet know exactly how or where the Lord would lead me. Over time, I discovered that Jesus was calling me to follow him as a priest, and that this path led through the Order of Saint Augustine."

"But this isn't just true for me," he said. "Every child is a dream of God. You are too. God desires the happiness of all and wants us, from childhood and throughout our lives, to have a heart like that of children (cf. Mt 18:3): capable of trusting, full of kindness; he wants us to be his friends and not turn away from him. Therefore, more important than asking oneself whether one will be a priest, doctor, teacher, parent, or anything else, is asking oneself whether one wants to be a friend of Jesus. Because friendship with Jesus gives us joy, sets us free, and helps us to see, step by step, the vocation and the path that God has planned for each of us."

Answering the point on injustices in the world, Pope Leo told the boy that "through the life of Jesus Christ, God shows us that, although there is suffering, he never abandons any of his children, because he has prepared for us an eternal joy where there will be no more sadness or pain. Let us have confidence, Jesus is with us, he helps us and accompanies us, and gives us strength to go through the difficult moments we may encounter in life."

Stressing that grandparents play a crucial role in families, the pope said: "Let us not allow loneliness and abandonment to become normalized in the lives of older adults. That is a very sad thing. Let's have our hearts open to all of them."

On forgiveness, he told Renzo and those gathered: "It does not mean forgetting by force, as if nothing had happened. Forgiveness means not letting hatred become the master of our hearts ... our willingness to forgive is a condition for the forgiveness we receive from God."
Video: Vatican Media

[Raymond Alikpala @RaymondAlikpala]

@chonggo Brava!😄

[Raymond Alikpala @RaymondAlikpala]

@kendalljayyzhxu 1758

[Raymond Alikpala @RaymondAlikpala]

@USAmbPH I’m so grateful that during my all-too-brief time with the U.S. Embassy and USAID in Manila you were our Ambassador. You represent the best of what the USA can be to its friends and allies around the world, and the Philippines was blessed to have you these 3.5 years. Thank you!

[Casual Geopolitics @Casualgeopol]

🚨 “My name is Greta Thunberg . I'm a citizen of Sweden. If you are watching this video, I have been abducted and taken against my will by Israeli forces.. Please tell my government to demand my and the others' immediate release.”

JUSTICE FOR GRETA

[kim chiu @prinsesachinita]

Passed by this video. Might as well share. 🙏🏻🤍Praying for Philippines to be free of corruption. May the holy spirit guide each and every filipino.

[Raymond Alikpala @RaymondAlikpala]

@iamdinodeleon Thanks, this is great, Pañero!👍🏼💕

[Raymond Alikpala @RaymondAlikpala]

@philbertdy Totally agree! Thanks Philbert!

[Raymond Alikpala @RaymondAlikpala]

@USAmbPH Happy new year, Ambassador!

[Raymond Alikpala @RaymondAlikpala]

@volker_turk Happy new year, Volker! Thank you for the very important work that you do for the world. Stay strong and keep the faith this 2025. My very best wishes and prayers for you always.

[Raymond Alikpala @RaymondAlikpala]

https://t.co/07w0332O2C

[Raymond Alikpala @RaymondAlikpala]

@USAmbPH Thank you for sharing in our joy, Ambassador!😊🇵🇭🥇

[Raymond Alikpala @RaymondAlikpala]

Do you remember when you joined X? I do! #MyXAnniversary

[Raymond Alikpala @RaymondAlikpala]

@iamdinodeleon Congratulations, Dino!

[Raymond Alikpala @RaymondAlikpala]

@mcvie This was basically an advertisement of your eligibility, and not a word about sexual orientation, except between the lines. All that theatre talk was a dead giveaway.

[Raymond Alikpala @RaymondAlikpala]

@corpcloset You’re welcome!

[Raymond Alikpala @RaymondAlikpala]

@corpcloset https://t.co/yzPXxV5mta

[Raymond Alikpala @RaymondAlikpala]

@corpcloset Just make sure you check out a Jjimjilbang. Your Seoul experience would be incomplete without it.

[Raymond Alikpala @RaymondAlikpala]

@philbertdy Any update on this, Phil?