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10 bishops could be next in line for Cebu

By Jason Baguia

Cebu Daily News

First Posted 13:26:00 08/29/2010

 Who will be the fourth archbishop of Cebu after Ricardo Cardinal Vidal retires and when will it be known?

Vatican observers foresee Pope Benedict XVI naming new cardinals in October or November this year as more “princes of the Church,” like Vidal, reach the age of 80.

Under church law, when a cardinal who turns 80, he loses his right to vote in a conclave to elect a pope.

Vidal's retirement has been extended for the fourth year, leaving many quarters speculating that Pope Benedict XVI would finally grant the well-loved prelate his leave and the tittle “emeritus.”

Barely a week after Vidal's 79th birthday last Feb. 6, the Union of Catholic Asia News' Rome correspondent Gerard O'Connel reported the possibility of a consistory or special meeting to choose new cardinals in October or November, to coincide with the Solemnity of Christ the King of the universe.

The identity of Vidal's successor, who is chosen by the Pope, will directly affect the life of the Cebu archdiocese’s over 3 million parishioners, clergy and dozens of schools, orphanages, dormitories, hospitals and retreat houses.

At present, Vidal is assisted by two auxiliary bishops – Bishops Emilio Bataclan and Julito Cortes. They function as his alter ego in his absence.

Eight other bishops have served in that position during Vidal's term. Two are now archbishops – Angel Lagdameo and Jose Palma.

If the Pope goes for familiarity with Cebu and scope of experience, Lagdameo has an edge.

He served as Cebu auxiliary bishop from 1980 – 1989 and was president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) like Vidal for a couple of two-year terms from 2005.

The others are Bishops John Du, Precioso Cantillas, Isabelo Abarquez, Antonieto Cabajog, Camilo Gregorio, Leopoldo Tumulak.

Of the entire group, three have served for nearly a decade or more: Lagdameo (nine years), Cortes (nine years) and Bataclan (almost 11 years).

Vidal has often said he is praying that the next Cebu archbishop would be a Cebuano.

That has never happened before, so if Providence grants his wish, it would be historic.

Cebuano prospects in the group are six:

Bishops Du and Bataclan are natives of Bantayan town in the north. Cantillas is from Naga town. Cabajog is from Cebu City.

Abarquez is from Dumanjug town and Tumulak from the southern town of Santander.

The brothers Osvaldo and Francisco Padilla are posted abroad as apostolic nuncios or ambassadors of the Pope and the Vatican.

Osvaldo is assigned to Korea and Mongolia, while Francisco is in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

NO CEBUANO YET

There has never been a Cebuano archbishop of Cebu.

Vidal, a Tagalog from Marinduque province, was assigned to Cebu in 1981 as coadjutor archbishop of Cebu. He was first unwilling to accept the posting and leave Batangas, where he was Archbishop of Lipa. He told Pope John Paul II “How can I serve the people when I do not know the language they speak?”

When Vidal was formally installed, he spent the first eight months studying Cebuano, according to the 2010 biography “Via Veritatis: The Life and Ministry of Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal.”

His predecessor Julio Rosales was born in Calbayog, Samar province. Rosales tendered his mandatory resignation upon turning 75 years old, paving the way for Vidal's rise to Archbishop of Cebu in 1982 and later, the red hat of a cardinal in 1985.

The first archbishop of Cebu, Gabriel Reyes, was born in Kalibo, Aklan.

Before Reyes, there was Juan Gorordo, the first and only Cebuano bishop of the diocese of Cebu, who hails from Barili town. He served from 1910 to 1934.

Before him, there was one American and scores of Hispanic religious bishops.

source link: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/news/view/20100829-289384/10-bishops-could-be-next-in-line-for-Cebu