Cardinal David recalls Pope Francis’ lesson on 'divine humor'

ROME, Italy – For Cardinal Pablo Virgilio “Ambo” David, the path to the College of cardinals has been marked by surprise, humility, and what he calls "divine humor," a lesson he says he learned directly from Pope Francis.

Cardinal David, who is the Bishop of Kalookan and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), recalled the moment he found out he had been named cardinal.

“I confronted him [Pope Francis], sabi ko ‘Holy Father, you did not even send me an advance notice. I was so shocked’,” Cardinal David recounted in an exclusive interview with GMA Integrated News’ Vicky Morales before the late pontiff’s funeral.

“Tapos sabi niya, ‘Please don't take it too seriously, okay? Take it with a grain of divine humor,’” David recalled.

He also remembered how Pope Francis struggled to pronounce the name of his diocese. “Sabi niya, ‘Is it Ca-loo-can?’ Ka-lu-o-kan, sabi ko,” Cardinal David shared.

That encounter, Cardinal David said, changed the way he viewed his new role.

“It’s not about you,” he said. “You are just being asked to participate in God’s project. Stop asking, ‘Why me?’ Because God might say, ‘“Why not you?’” Cardinal David added.

“Mapagpatawa, ganyan siya,” he said. “And imagine, nung naging Pope siya, ‘di na siya bumalik sa Argentina. Ikaw ba naman mag-Santo Papa? You're taking care of the Universal Church. Ewan ko lang kung makauwi ka pa. So, parang [ang papacy ay] death sentence, you know? Kaya nobody in his right mind ambitions the papacy,” Cardinal David said.

“Imagine the responsibility. All the problems,” he added. “Ang nakakatawa pa, nung pagkahalal sa kanya, bumalik siya sa Casa Santa Marta, nagbabayad ng board and lodging.”

But beyond the humor, Cardinal David said Pope Francis also comforted him during dark times.

“Siya pa yung nag-offer na i-pray over niya ako when I was undergoing a kind of crisis during the drug war sa Kalookan City. When he learned about the death threats and all those. Tapos, siya yung nag-offer [ng blessing]. Sabi niya,‘May I give you a blessing?’ And I was so touched by that. Never forgot that,” Cardinal David said.

For Cardinal David, Pope Francis’ passing was personal. “Parang feeling ko ba, nung namatay si Pope Francis, parang nawalan ulit ako ng ama,” he said. “I lost my father when I was in the seminary. Hindi pa ako pari noon. It was in 1980. And it was a very painful experience.”

Conclave preparations

Cardinal David and over 130 other cardinals in the Vatican are already preparing for next week’s conclave to elect the next pope.

“Parang may obligation kasi ako in conscience na kilalanin ko ang lahat ng mga kapatid na kardinal,” he explained. “You just do your homework. Nobody tells us to do that, syempre.”

In the ongoing pre-conclave meetings, cardinals discuss the direction of the Church and listen to each other’s insights.

“Ang College of Cardinals ay nagmi-meet, nagpupulong, at nagdi-discuss, nagkukwentuhan. May mga topics kami for discussion, at opportunity rin yun para kilatisin namin ang isa't isa, makinig sa sinasabi ng bawat isa, at parang bibigyan ng bawat isa ng opportunity na magbigay ng kaunting saloobin tungkol sa direksyon na dapat tahakin ng simbahan,” Cardinal David explained.

According to the Holy See Press Office, the fifth general congregation of the cardinals on April 28 had approximately 20 interventions, which “addressed issues of particular relevance for the future of the Church”.

These issues, as stated in a news advisory in Italian, include “the relationship with [and challenges in] the contemporary world,” “evangelization,” “the relationship with other faiths,” “the issue of abuse” in the Catholic Church, and “the qualities that the new Pontiff will have to possess to respond effectively to these challenges.”

Once the conclave begins, all communication among the cardinals ends. “Wala nang communication kasi retreat na siya,” Cardinal David said. — BAP, GMA Integrated News