CBCP: Cardinal Quevedo to help Pope Francis reach out to Mindanao folk

New cardinal Orlando Quevedo can help Pope Francis reach out to Filipinos in Mindanao, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said Sunday night.

 

In a statement, CBCP President and Lingayen-Dagupan archbishop Socrates Villegas said the Philippine bishops' body is elated to learn of Quevedo's elevation to the College of Cardinals.

 

"As a member of the College of Cardinals he will be able to assist the Pope in reaching out to the marginalized in Mindanao. A Cardinal from Mindanao is a papal tribute to the strength of the Catholic faith in that region of our country," Villegas said.

 

He added the selection of a cardinal from Mindanao is "proof that the Catholic faith in Mindanao is now bearing rich fruits," and that Quevedo "is its living testimony."

 

On Sunday evening (Manila time), Pope Francis announced his selection of Quevedo as among the bishops who will become the newest members of the College of Cardinals.

 

Villegas said Quevedo is a senior member of the Catholic hierarchy in the Philippines and "is known in the CBCP for his mental clarity and intellectual brilliance."

 

"He is an archbishop who is truly passionate for the formation of basic ecclesial communities. He has been a pastor up north in Ilocos Sur and down south in Cotabato. He is an intellectual giant with a very simple lifestyle and very warm fraternal manners. He is a blessing for the Church," he added.

 

Quevedo's elevation a blessing for church, other bishops say

 

Meanwhile, other bishops on Monday hailed Quevedo's elevation, saying the new Cardinal-elect is a "blessing for the Church."

 

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said the Church in the Philippines and Asia “has been greatly blessed these past decades by the service and leadership” of Quevedo.

 

“Now this blessing extends to the whole Church,” Tagle said as he thanked Pope Francis for "associating Quevedo and the church in Mindanao to his Petrine ministry and solicitude for all the churches.”

 

“I am extremely happy to have him as a confrere in the College of Cardinals where our collaboration and friendship nurtured these past 30 years will continue on another level,” he added.

 

The CBCP, where Quevedo formerly served as president, said it is also elated over Quevedo’s elevation as cardinal.

 

First cardinal from Mindanao 

 

The CBCP said Quevedo, 74, is the "first cardinal from the south," which had been troubled by conflict since the 1960s.

 

It also said Quevedo’s appointment broke the tradition that only those assigned in the Manila and Cebu archdioceses could become cardinal.

 

For his part, retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, also a former CBCP president, said cardinals do not necessarily represent regions.

 

“They are not regional in scope. It’s not in Canon Law and it’s neither a practice that a cardinal will cover a regional proportion of the country. There’s nothing like that,” he said.

 

Resignation won't be accepted?

 

The CBCP quoted Cruz as saying the Pope may not accept Quevedo’s resignation once he reaches 75, the mandatory retirement age for bishops, in March.

 

"But even if the cardinal-elect retire as Cotabato archbishop, he could still function as cardinal until he reached the age of 80 in which he can no longer vote for a new pope," it said.

 

Still, Cruz said Quevedo’s nomination for cardinalate is long overdue.

 

“Archbishop Quevedo is well-known for his intelligence as well as being visionary minded. Therefore, nomination for cardinalate is long expected,” he said.  — ELR, GMA News