Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday at 88, is being lauded in death as the “pope of the peripheries,” having pointed humanity’s collective consciousness to places and peoples beyond the Catholic Church’s administrative center in the West.
In the Philippines, through a visit, episcopal appointments, and devotional actions among others, the pontiff set the tone for the hierarchy and laity to be more missionary, merciful, and synodal.
These numbers help tell the story of a Pope and his flock in a nation known as the cradle of Christianity in the Far East and the world’s third largest predominantly Catholic country after Brazil and Mexico.
1 Apostolic visit to the Philippines
The Holy Father and Filipino Catholics set a world record for the largest outdoor celebration of Holy Mass in Rizal Park at the end of his apostolic visit to the Philippines from Jan. 15 to 19, 2015.
A record seven million people attended the Eucharistic celebration on what was also the Feast of the Santo Niño or Holy Child Jesus of Cebu, the culmination of the Pope’s only trip to the archipelago.
At that Sunday Mass, Francis called the Philippines “the foremost Catholic country in Asia” and Filipinos a people who are “called to be outstanding missionaries of the faith” in the continent.
“The Christ Child is the protector of this great country. When he came into the world, his very life was threatened by a corrupt king. Jesus himself needed to be protected. He had an earthly protector: Saint Joseph. He had an earthly family, the Holy Family of Nazareth,” the Pope said in his homily.
“So he reminds us of the importance of protecting our families, and those larger families which are the Church, God’s family, and the world, our human family. Sadly, in our day, the family all too often needs to be protected against insidious attacks and programs contrary to all that we hold true and sacred, all that is most beautiful and noble in our culture.”
The Pope’s trip was also highlighted by a visit to the Archdiocese of Palo for him to spend time with survivors of superstorm Yolanda, internationally known as Haiyan, the most powerful storm ever to make landfall.
The Pope also had a memorable dialogue with young people in a gathering on the grounds of the University of Santo Tomas where he delivered a beautiful meditation about love.
3 Filipino cardinals
Pope Francis appointed three Filipino prelates to the Sacred College of Cardinals, bringing to a record five the number of the country’s representatives among the pope’s closest collaborators in governing the Church in the world.
The crimson cardinals’ hats were given by the pope to clerics in dioceses that were not traditionally red-hat sees or church territories historically overseen by cardinals.
The pope’s most senior appointee, Archbishop Emeritus Orlando Cardinal Quevedo was shepherd of the Archdiocese of Cotabato.
His designation on Feb. 22, 2014, making him the first cardinal of Mindanao was seen as a sign of appreciation for Cardinal Quevedo’s leadership especially in establishing peace and promoting interreligious dialogue among Christians and Muslims in Mindanao.
The elevation also shone the spotlight on Quevedo’s contributions to building up the Church in Asia, for which he was secretary-general of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences.
Pope Francis’ next most senior Filipino cardinal designate is Jose Cardinal Advincula, the Manila archbishop who at the time of his elevation, Nov. 28, 2020, was Archbishop of Capiz in the Visayas.
The appointment reflected the pope’s preference for prelates who, in his own words, have the smell of the sheep. Advincula has a track record of caring for the marginalized and for mission.
Advincula had opened 10 mission stations in Capiz in preparation for their development into full-fledged parishes and for nearly a decade served as a member of the bishops’ commission for indigenous peoples.
Pope Francis’ latest appointment to the cardinalate is Bishop Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David of the Diocese of Kalookan.
David is the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and soon after his elevation to the cardinals’ college was appointed by Pope Francis a member of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith that is in charge of guarding the Church’s deposit of faith.
Before he was cardinal, David, who was a staunch critic of the “war on drugs” under former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte had a momentous encounter with Pope Francis during an ad limina visit of a batch of Filipino bishops to the pontiff in 2019.
“On my way out, after I received his gift, I was ready to step out already when he held my arm and said, ‘Wait. Please let me give you a special blessing. I want you to know I am with you as you face trials in your ministry in your diocese,’” David said, recalling the encounter.
“Then he extended his right hand to pray over me. He said, ‘May the Lord keep within you the heart of the Good Shepherd.’ Then he pulled me to himself to give me a warm paternal embrace, pressing his head against mine, and brushing his hand gently on my back as he whispered into my ears, ‘Courage!’ My heart melted after that. I just said, ‘Thank you, Holy Father.’”
As is customary, all Filipino cardinals are called to the Vatican for the papal interregnum or period between the death of an old and election of a new pope.
Those who are over 80 years old — Cardinal Quevedo along with Manila Archbishop Emeritus Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales are expected to participate in the congregations or meetings prior to the election of Pope Francis’ successor.
Those who are under 80, Cardinals Tagle, Advincula, and David will vote and are eligible to be nominated pope in the conclave.
4 Filipinos close to beatification
Pope Francis brought four Filipinos to the final step before beatification, recognizing their “heroic” practice of the virtues. The theological virtues are faith, hope, and love, and the cardinal virtues are justice, prudence, temperance, and fortitude.
A papal recognition or “decree of heroic virtue” of the four Filipinos means that they lived the virtues with ease and to an eminent degree as established by personal testimonies of those who knew the candidates for sainthood.
The decree entitled them to be formally called “Venerable” while the faithful wait for a miracle through their intercession that would pave the way to their beatification, which would be the last step before they are canonized.
Lucena Bishop Alfredo Maria Obviar (1889-1978) who founded the Missionary Catechists of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus was recognized as venerable on Nov. 7, 2018.
Maria Beatriz del Rosario Arroyo y Pidal (1884-1957) founded the Dominican Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary of the Philippines, also known as the Dominican Sisters of Molo. The Pope recognized her heroic virtues on June 11, 2019.
Francisca del Espiritu Santo Fuentes (1647-1711) was the first prioress of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena in the Philippines. The pope declared her venerable on July 5, 2019.
Coadjutor Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Teofilo Bastida Camomot (1914-1988) from Cebu founded the Daughters of Saint Teresa. Pope Francis recognized him for heroic virtues on May 21, 2022.
Should a miracle be attributed to the intercession of a venerable, it will be investigated. Once verified, it will become the final basis for proclaiming the sainthood candidate a “blessed” who may be invoked using the words “pray for us” by their devotees.
5 Filipinos in charge of Apostolic Nunciatures
Under Pope Francis, five Filipinos rose to leadership in the Holy See’s diplomatic service, heading apostolic nunciatures or embassies of the Holy See in countries or international organizations with which it has diplomatic relations.
Nuncios are the pope’s representatives in the countries and particular churches where they are assigned.
As the pope’s ambassadors, they foster relations between the Holy See and civil authorities and conduct dialogue and work with them on human rights, respect for human dignity, freedom of faith, conscience, and worship, protection of life, family stability, solidarity with the poor, and world peace.
Archbishop Osvaldo Padilla retired in 2017 after serving as the Holy Father’s apostolic nuncio to Panama.
Archbishop Francisco Padilla has served as apostolic nuncio to Guatemala since April 17, 2020.
Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana has served as apostolic nuncio to Israel and Cyprus and apostolic delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine since June 3, 2021.
Archbishop Bernardito Auza was appointed apostolic nuncio to the European Union effective March 22 this year.
In the interim this year between the resignation and appointment of nuncios to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Msgr. Jan Thomas Limchua served as charge d’affaires of the country’s apostolic nunciature.
7 Dicasteries for Cardinal Tagle
Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, the former Manila archbishop who is being described by Vatican watchers as a strong contender to succeed Pope Francis, was made cardinal by Francis’ predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.
But Pope Francis gave the cardinal a larger profile, first appointing him president of Caritas International, a federation of organizations serving the world’s poor on behalf of the Church in 2015 and then naming him prefect of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith in 2019.
After the Pope reformed the Roman Curia on June 5, 2022, he appointed Cardinal Tagle pro-prefect of the section for first evangelization and new particular churches of the Dicastery for the Dicastery for Evangelization.
The Pope also appointed Cardinal Tagle a member of the following dicasteries:
Dicastery for Culture and Education
Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
Dicastery for the Oriental Churches
Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
Dicastery for Legislative Texts
Dicastery for Inter-religious Dialogue
Dicastery for Evangelization – Section for Fundamental Questions regarding Evangelization in the World
13 Filipinos lead dioceses abroad
Pope Francis appointed as ordinaries, auxiliary bishops, and superior 13 of the 14 Philippine-born bishops responsible for dioceses outside the Philippines.
Seven bishops serve in United States jurisdictions. They are: Auxiliary Bishop Alejandro Aclan of Los Angeles, Auxiliary Bishop Reynaldo Bersabal of Sacramento, Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Celino of El Paso, Bishop Romeo Convocar of the Northern Mariana Islands, Auxiliary Bishop Efren Esmilla of Philadelphia, Archbishop Ryan Jimenez of Guam, and Bishop Oscar Solis of Salt Lake City.
The others serve in dioceses elsewhere. They are: Bishop Pedro Baquero in Papua New Guinea, Bishop Joseph Durero in Papua New Guinea, Bishop Edgar Gacutan in Japan, Bishop Reynaldo Getalado in the Cook Islands, Fr. Eliseo Napiere in Tuvalu, and Auxiliary Bishop Rene Ramirez in Australia.
42 Filipino clerics consecrated bishops
Over the course of his papacy, Pope Francis appointed to the episcopate 42 bishops for Philippine dioceses and ecclesiastical circumscriptions.
The first priest that he appointed bishop is Narciso Abellana of Romblon diocese who was consecrated on Dec. 11, 2014.
His last bishop designate was Fr. Glenn Corsiga, who was appointed to head the Diocese of Ipil just this month.
The appointment brought down to three the number of Philippine Church territories that are sede vacante or vacant sees. They are the Diocese of Boac, Apostolic Vicariate of Tabuk, and Diocese of San Jose, Nueva Ecija.
28 Coronations of Filipino Marian images
Pope Francis was widely known for his Marian devotion, ensuring that he visited the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome before and after each apostolic visit. In his spiritual testament, he has specified the exact spot he wishes to be buried in the same basilica.
He has promoted the devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title Undoer of Knots, and taught that Christians cannot be brother to Jesus Christ if they do not acknowledge Mary as mother.
To Filipinos, well-known as pueblo amante de Maria or a people in love with Mary, the Pope has deepened Christian discipleship through a Marian path by authorizing the ceremonial coronation of more than 50 images of Mary across the Philippine archipelago.
Our Lady of the Pillar of Libmanan in Camarines Sur was pontifically crowned on Oct. 11, 2015. The last image for which he granted a request for pontifical coronation is that of Our Lady of the Annunciation of Antipolo, Rizal. Whether the crowning of the image slated for May 25 will be rescheduled under Pope Francis’ successor remains to be seen. — BAP, GMA Integrated News
