Advincula: Sto. Niño de Tondo basilica status calls faithful to be synodal Church

Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula on Monday said the declaration of the Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of Sto. Niño de Tondo, as a minor basilica, is an invitation for its faithful to become a synodal Church.

“Such a designation bestowed on us today invites the local Christian community of Tondo not to privilege but to responsibility: to become more fully a center of vibrant worship, sound teaching, and active charity; to renew their commitment to their Catholic faith and their devotion to God,” Advincula said in his homily.

“Under the leadership of Pope Francis and now of Pope Leo XIV, we are being formed into a synodal Church — the people of God that walks together, listens together, and discerns together under the guidance of the Holy Spirit,” he added.

Advincula presided over the declaration of the Minor Basilica and Archdiocesan Shrine Parish of Sto. Niño de Tondo in Manila, concelebrated by Papal Nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown.

Symbols of a minor basilica

Now elevated as a minor basilica, the Sto. Niño de Tondo Church was granted the papal chair, ombrellino (umbrella), and tintinnabulum (bell).

Advincula said the papal chair signifies the “teaching and leadership authority of the Bishop of Rome.”

“But in a synodal key, it reminds us that authority in the Church is always at the service of communion. It is not domination but relationship. It is not distance but closeness,” he said.

“May this new minor basilica in Tondo be a sign of communion — a community where people do not strive to be first, but to love first and to serve first,” he added.

The ombrellino, traditionally associated with welcoming the Holy Father, was also described by Advincula as a call to participation.

“The basilica, therefore, is not a closed sanctuary but an open home where all people, especially the poor, the forgotten, and the abandoned, can find belonging,” he said.

“May this new minor basilica in Tondo always be a Church where everyone, especially the poor and the little children whom the Lord loves very dearly, always finds a welcome,” he added.

The tintinnabulum, meanwhile, is used to signal the presence of the pope or to call attention during solemn processions.

“Let the tintinnabulum sound here in Tondo, draw people closer to the Lord and to the Church, and always remind the people of God’s presence in our midst,” Advincula said.

“Let it summon God’s children of every age to come home to their Church, especially those who have been estranged or lost,” he added.

The decree declaring the Sto. Niño de Tondo Church a minor basilica was issued on November 9, 2025, coinciding with the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome.

The church houses the Sto. Niño de Tondo, considered the second-oldest image of the Infant Jesus in the Philippines, believed to have been given by Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi to Lakandula after the baptism of the ruler of Tondo and his sons.

According to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the parish was founded in 1572 and is considered the first parish church in Luzon, with Tambobong (Malabon), Caloocan, Betis in Pampanga, and Calumpit in Bulacan as its early visitas.

The CBCP also explains that a basilica is a church granted special recognition by the pope due to its historical, spiritual, or architectural significance.—MCG, GMA News