Dennis Gaviola

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Erik Tenedero

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17340985813791734098614723.jpeg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David kneels before Pope Francis as he is officially inducted to the Sacred College of Cardinals. 📷 Screenshot from Vatican News livestream"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David kneels before Pope Francis as he is officially inducted to the Sacred College of Cardinals. 📷 <em>Screenshot from Vatican News livestream</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA - If history would serve as the basis, Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David&#x27;s elevation to the Sacred College of Cardinals was indeed a surprise.</p><p>He is the first Filipino cardinal who is not an archbishop when he was chosen by the pope.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/6/pope-francis-picks-phs-bishop-pablo-david-as-new-cardinal-1926" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pope Francis picks PH&#x27;s Bishop Pablo David as new cardinal</a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2024/12/7/philippines-bishop-ambo-now-a-cardinal-0002" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Philippines&#x27; Bishop Ambo now a cardinal</a></div><p>He is also the first from the Diocese of Kalookan, a two-decades-old ecclesiastical territory carved out from the Archdiocese of Manila in 2003.</p><p>And because the Diocese of Kalookan is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Manila, this makes it the first time in the Philippines that there are two cardinals in a single ecclesiastical province - David and Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula.</p><p>With David&#x27;s induction into the College of Cardinals, it is also the first time that there are five living Filipino cardinals.</p><p>Aside from David and Advincula, there are:</p><p>- Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization;</p><p>- Orlando Cardinal Quevedo, archbishop emeritus of the Archdiocese of Cotabato; and</p><p>- Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, archbishop emeritus of the Archdiocese of Manila.  </p><p>David is also the first Filipino prelate who was created a cardinal during his term as president of the Catholic Bishops&#x27; Conference of the Philippines. Rosales, Sin, and Vidal were already cardinals when they became presidents of the bishops&#x27; conference.  </p><p>&quot;It felt like being <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/7/-like-being-caught-in-a-whirlwind-how-bishop-david-found-out-pope-chose-him-as-new-cardinal-1014" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">caught in a whirlwind</a>. I put down the phone and did a five-minute breathing exercise, which instantly calmed me down,&quot; David said, describing how he felt when he learned that the pope had named him a cardinal.</p><p>But under Pope Francis&#x27;s pontificate, the choice of the 65-year-old prelate, who happily insists on being called Ambo, should come as no surprise.</p><p>Traditionally, cardinals are plucked from major archdioceses across the world.</p><p>But Pope Francis veered away from this practice and instead chose cardinals from what he calls the &quot;peripheries&quot; of the world.</p><p>The pope has picked cardinals who are known to serve the poor, those who are from countries where Christians are a minority or persecuted, and those whose pastoral style favors a more welcoming Church.</p><p>David has always been what Vatican observers call a &quot;Francis bishop.&quot;</p><p>Throughout his 11 years as the head of the Catholic Church, Francis has emphasized the plight of the poor and other marginalized people.</p><p>He has repeatedly called for Church officials to &quot;have the smell of the sheep,&quot; to be close to ordinary people instead of living like monarchs.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2024/12/7/pope-looks-to-his-legacy-in-creating-21-new-cardinals-2118" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pope looks to his legacy in creating 21 new cardinals</a></div><p>David&#x27;s pastoral track parallels that of the pope.</p><p>&quot;Kapag ramdam mo &#x27;yung pinagdadaanan ng tao, alam mo &#x27;yung sasabihin mo sa kanila... Alam mo din &#x27;pag hindi mo sila nakakausap. Hindi mo napapalakas ang loob nila, hindi mo inaabot ang mga tao,&quot; David said in an interview with CBCP News.</p><p>&quot;I don&#x27;t think we can preach effectively to people kung hindi tayo naka-immerse sa kalagayan nila .&quot;</p><p>(When you feel the experiences of the people, you know what to tell them. You know in yourself when you don&#x27;t speak to them. You are not able to encourage them, you are not capable of reaching out to the people.)</p><p>Ironically, David&#x27;s status as a cardinal makes him a &quot;prince of the Church&quot; as cardinals are equal in rank to secular princes.  </p><p>Cardinals are addressed as &quot;eminence&quot; and wear the distinctive scarlet attire.</p><p>But like Pope Francis, David does not approve of the princely title.</p><p>He said the color red is a reminder of their readiness to be a martyr for Christ just like the apostles.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s a call to martyrdom. Tingnan mo naman halos lahat ng apostol martyrs, &#x27;di ba?&quot; he said.</p><p>(If you look at it, almost all the apostles were martyrs.)</p><p>&quot;Most of them died a violent death kaya &#x27;pag inuugnay natin &#x27;yung red sa honor, title, and recognition, we are totally losing the significance of the color.&quot;</p><p>(Most of them died a violent death and so if we relate the color red to honor, title, and recognition, we are totally losing the significance of the color.)</p><div><strong>A CARDINAL FOR THE LOCAL CHURCH</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EjAIUfSt3Vc?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div><p>As tradition dictates, David was assigned a titular church in Rome just like the other cardinals.</p><p>Pope Francis appointed him cardinal-priest of the Church of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Chiesa della Trasfigurazione di Nostro Signore Gesù Cristo).</p><p>While several clergymen who were created cardinals were called to the Vatican to hold administrative positions in the Curia, David expects that he would remain as bishop of Kalookan.</p><p>Tagle was archbishop of Manila when he was appointed prefect in a Vatican department. Cardinal Sanchez, on the other hand, served as prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy (now called a dicastery) and president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See.</p><p>But David believes he was chosen by the pope in the context of him being a local pastor.</p><p>&quot;I would presuppose that I just stay in Kalookan and continue to serve as a bishop of the local church of Kalookan,&quot; he said.</p><p>Aside from being CBCP president, David is also the vice president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences. He is also a member of the synod council.</p><p>In 2019, David received the backing of Pope Francis after getting death threats amid his scathing criticism of former president Rodrigo Duterte&#x27;s bloody war on drugs.</p><p>His diocese, which comprises the secular territories of Malabon, Navotas, and the southern portion of Caloocan, saw several young victims who were killed during the former administration&#x27;s violent campaign against illegal drugs.  </p><p>As a cardinal, David recalled the threats he received and the titular bishop before him who was martyred.</p><p>&quot;Hindi naman sa gusto naming magpakamatay o magpakamartir... we will not run from danger,&quot; he said.  </p><p>David&#x27;s episcopal motto is &quot;kenosis,&quot; which means &quot;self-emptying&quot; and is used to refer to Jesus&#x27;s ultimate expression of humility when He became a man and offered His life for man&#x27;s salvation.</p><p>&quot;Kung takot akong mamatay sana hindi na lang ako nag-bishop. Para kung ang kaya ko lang iprotekta buhay ko, sarili ko, I cannot protect my flock, ba&#x27;t pa ko nag-obispo,&quot; he said. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ht7tzDfs1yg?autoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Bishop Ambo's elevation to the College of Cardinals is historic not just for his local diocese but for the Philippines as well. </p>

Bishop Ambo's elevation to the College of Cardinals is historic not just for his local diocese but for the Philippines as well.

Bishop Ambo, a cardinal of many firsts

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Bishop Ambo, a cardinal of many firsts

Erik Tenedero,

ABS-CBN News

Published December 13, 2024 10:04 PM PHT

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Updated December 16, 2024 06:16 PM PHT

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Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David

Cardinal David

Diocese of Kalookan

Pope Francis

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