On Sunday, October 6, Pope Francis named Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David as a new cardinal of the Catholic Church, along with 20 others. The Pope made this big announcement during his weekly Sunday Angelus.
Besides David, other cardinals who are specially mentioned include Mykola Bychok, Fabio Baggio, Ladislav Nemet, and Jean-Paul Vesco.
Pope Francis further announced that the ceremony for the cardinal’s conclave will be held on December 8. This would be the Pope’s 10th conclave since his election 11 years ago.
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Pablo Virgilio David was a President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and a vocal critic defending human rights in the Philippines. Many people best recognize the newly appointed cardinal for criticizing Duterte’s war on drugs.
He shared on Facebook how he found out about his reaction to the announcement.
“It felt like Elijah standing by the mouth of a cave and feeling a soft breeze that penetrated my soul and prepared me for this new chapter of my life and ministry as a bishop, as a servant of God’s people. I said, ‘Ok, Lord. My life is in your hands.’” he wrote.
He was ordained as a priest for the Archdiocese of San Fernando in 1983 and was appointed auxiliary archbishop 23 years later.
He was elected as the next Vice President of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) in February 2024. It is also confirmed that he will assume the post in January 2025.
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David has been a priest for 41 years and a bishop for 18 after receiving a doctorate in theology from the Catholic University of Louvain. At 65, he is in Rome for the Synod of Bishops on Synodality.
Cardinals are the Pope’s closest advisers and the second order under the Church hierarchy. They are still referred to as the princes of the Church due to their historical power and influence. However, Pope Francis has advised them not to live like royalty and to be close to the poor.
Since the elevation of the first Filipino cardinal, Rufino J. Santos, in 1960, the Philippines has produced nine cardinals.
Bishop Pablo Virgilio David will join Jose Advincula and Luis Antonio Tagle as current active Filipino cardinals within the Vatican. He is also the 10th Filipino cardinal overall.
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