MANILA, Philippines – Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David met with a visiting senior leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday, the Filipino prelate’s first day back in Manila after a nearly monthlong trip to Rome.

David, one of the most recognized Asian cardinals during the recent conclave, received Elder Patrick Kearon of the Latter-day Saints at the diocesan curia of the Diocese of Kalookan in northern Metro Manila.

The 66-year-old David, the bishop of Kalookan since 2016, is also the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and vice president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences.

David’s meeting with the English-born Kearon on Wednesday morning was his first high-profile engagement after he landed in Manila on Tuesday evening.

“It was wonderful to see Cardinal David again,” Kearon said, according to a news release by the Church of Jesus Christ in the Philippines. “He is constantly caring for those who might be forgotten. I was reminded of the Savior’s teaching in Matthew 25:40 — ‘Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’”

Formerly called the Mormon Church, the Church of Jesus Christ is a small minority in the Philippines, composed of around 900,000 members in this country of 86 million Roman Catholics. However, this church which is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, has been at the forefront of many ecumenical efforts in different parts of the world.

David, a biblical scholar from the Catholic University of Louvain, has often emphasized the need to engage in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue.

In a Vatican News interview on October 5, 2024, David said engaging different faiths is important especially in Asia, where “Christianity is a tiny, tiny minority” with the exception of Catholic-majority Philippines.

In this interview, held during the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican, David said Asian Catholics have brought their voices into the synod “to make sure that we remain open to intercultural, interreligious dialogue.”

“I think we’re finding spaces to be able to collaborate, to be able to walk with people of other faiths, other religions, other denominations within Christianity — to be able to work together for social justice, for the poorest of the poor, for human rights, for the integrity of creation. These are concerns that are foremost among the Asian people,” David said.

David’s advocacy for the poor and neglected was, in fact, one of the focal points of his meeting with Kearon on Wednesday.

Kearon, 63, “expressed admiration for Cardinal David’s continued efforts to uplift the poor and minister to the marginalized,” said the Church of Jesus Christ, referring to David’s visits to persons deprived of liberty.

The two religious leaders “also discussed efforts to help individuals overcome addiction, particularly drug dependency.”

It was the controversial drug war waged by former president Rodrigo Duterte that first brought David to national prominence. The Jesuit-trained cardinal was among the staunchest critics Duterte’s drug war, which, according to human rights groups, killed around 30,000 drug suspects.

David’s diocese, home to some of Metro Manila’s poorest communities, was one of the places that witnessed the worst drug war killings. The late Pope Francis took notice of David’s defense of drug war victims, as he blessed the Filipino bishop at one ad limina visit.

One of the efforts of David’s diocese was the community-based drug rehabilitation program called Kaagapay.

David and Kearon, after their meeting in the cardinal’s office, joined a gathering of around 250 parolees and former detainees who have benefited from the Kaagapay ministry.

Kearon donated 30 sets of the Church of Jesus Christ’s “Finding Strength in the Lord: Emotional Resilience” manuals. This “is designed to help individuals strengthen emotional well-being while applying the teachings of Jesus Christ and learning practical life skills.”

The Christian church also donated 250 food kits and 250 hygiene kits for the beneficiaries of the Kaagapay ministry.

On top of discussing their shared advocacies, the Church of Jesus Christ said David, in the meeting with Kearon, “offered a rare and personal reflection on the process that led to the election of Pope Leo XIV.”

In a Facebook post, David recalled that during their pre-conclave sessions, “several cardinals offered words of reassurance in their interventions, echoing Jesus’ ‘Be not afraid.’”

He said their discussions were filled with messages like: “We believe the Holy Spirit has already chosen the next pope. He is here among us, but we have yet to identify him. Dear brother, whoever you are, should the lot fall upon you when we cast our votes, please accept it. We assure you of our allegiance and fidelity.”

“I do not know why these words moved me profoundly, even to tears,” the cardinal said.

David continued speaking of the conclave in a Mass on Thursday, at the Declaration of the Special Spiritual Bond of Affinity between the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome and the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of the Immaculate Conception in Malabon.

During the Mass on Thursday, David recalled Leo’s election as “a great blessing for which we are truly grateful to Our Lord.”