The Catholic Church has failed in solving the ills that is plaguing the Philippines, the head of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines has said.

“Humbly, we must admit that the whole Church of the Philippines that we have not been renewed enough,” CBCP president and Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo said in his homily in Cagayan de Oro City on Thursday.

Lagdameo's statement came ahead of a special meeting called by the CBCP Friday morning in Manila.

The meeting was called a day after former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn "Jocjoc" Bolante testified before a Senate panel that is investigating the P728-million fertilizer fund scam.

In his homily before a crowd of prelates, priests and nearly 400 participants of the 2nd Basic Ecclesial Communities National Congress, Lagdameo said that the Church has no choice but to accept its failure.

“We have to make confession of acceptance of responsibility for some evils in our society. This acceptance is already the beginning of renewal,” he said.

He said the renewal of the Church means social transformation—from liturgy, catechesis, vocation or temporalities, social action and politics.

“There cannot be renewal of the Church unless it starts within each individual,” added Lagdameo.