POPE Francis on Sunday named Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, as one of the new cardinals of the Catholic Church.
David, bishop of the Diocese of Caloocan, is one of four Asians from the 21 new appointed “princes” who will one day elect the successor of the 87-year-old Pope Francis.
The new cardinals will receive their red hat at a Vatican ceremony, known as a consistory, on December 8.
The new appointments were announced by the Pope during his weekly noon-time prayer with pilgrims and tourists in St. Peter’s Square.
It will be the tenth consistory called by the Pope since his election 11 years ago as the first pontiff from Latin America.
Although popes may choose to appoint cardinals at any time, Francis’ decision to make new appointments now comes as something of a surprise.
As of the Pope’s announcement, there are 122 cardinals under 80 and able to vote in a future conclave. Church law technically limits the number of such cardinals to 120, but recent popes have frequently gone above that number.
Two of the cardinals currently able to vote in a conclave will age out by the end of the year. A further 13 will cross the threshold through the end of 2025.
All cardinals, regardless of their age, are allowed to take part in pre-conclave meetings, known as General Congregations, giving them a say in the type of person they think the younger cardinals should choose.
Cardinals rank second only to the pope in the Church hierarchy and serve as his closest advisers. Due to their historical power and influence, they are still called the princes of the Church, although Francis has told them not to live like royalty and to be close to the poor.
David, 65, will be the 10th Filipino cardinal appointed by the Pope.
He will also now be one of the three Filipino cardinals, along with Cardinal Jose Advincula of Manila and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization.
Born in Betis, Pampanga, David was ordained priest for the Archdiocese of San Fernando in 1983.
In 2006, he was named auxiliary bishop of San Fernando, serving in that role until his transfer to the Caloocan diocese in 2015.
A priest for 41 years and a bishop for 18, David is one of the country’s leading biblical scholars, holding a doctorate in theology from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.
David is in Rome, leading the CBCP delegation to the second session of the Synod of Bishops on Synodality, which runs until October 27.
Known by his nickname “Ambo,” the bishop was one of the leading church voices against the spate of drug war killings under former President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.
He lamented how Duterte’s notorious campaign against illegal narcotics had turned his diocese, which covers the cities of Caloocan, Navotas and Malabon, into a “killing field.”
Last February, David was elected as the next vice president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences. He will officially assume the post in January 2025.
