Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal passed away on Wednesday morning. The cardinal had lived 86 full years of laughter, friendship and unyielding service to the Church. For these he will be remembered, and in remembering, he lives on.
Pope Francis himself extended his sympathy over Cardinal Vidal’s death, citing the latter’s hand in “constant advocacy of dialogue and peace in the Philippines.”
“I commend his soul to the infinite love and mercy of our Heavenly Father,” the pope said in a telegram received by Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma on Wednesday.
Condolences were also extended to the faithful of Cebu, with whom Cardinal Vidal spent nearly three decades of his life, despite originally hailing from Marinduque.
“Deeply saddened to learn of the death of Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, I extend my sincere condolences to you, and to the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Cebu,” the pope’s telegram read. Members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) mirror the pope’s deep mourning and lamentations, Cardinal Vidal having also previously served as the conference’s president. He strived to maintain a low-key, neutral stance on political matters, but he was not silent when it mattered.
For instance, he led the CBCP in calling out the “unparalleled fraudulence” in then-President Ferdinand Marcos’s call for a snap election in 1986. Vidal also appealed to then-President Joseph Estrada to give up his position after sustained allegations of graft and corruption. Furthermore, Cardinal Vidal championed causes, such as the canonization of San Pedro Calungsod, as well as the ongoing appeal for the beatification of Archbishop Teofilo Camomot. For the CBCP, Cardinal Vidal’s legacy lives on.
“Cardinal Vidal cannot die. He who has always shared in the dying and rising of the Lord daily in his priestly life cannot die. He now joins the immortal ones who served the Lord faithfully here on earth. His wisdom and his humility, his love for priests and his devotion to the Virgin Mary must live on in us whom he has left behind,” CBCP President Archbishop Socrates Villegas said.
For those who remained in close proximity to Vidal, he cannot only be remembered for his greatness, but also for his goodness.
“All these years, I have witnessed how people run to him to report mistakes. There are times when he got mad or dismayed, but he always made it a point to forgive. When he chided someone, it never ended up with him getting angry. It always ended with a hug, a reminder of God’s love to all,” said Fr. Joseph de Aquino, Vidal’s secretary, who had always considered him as a second father.
Cardinal Vidal’s own brother, Juanito, the youngest, stands witness to the former’s dedication to service, and extends his gratitude to those who paid their respects.
“Thank you for remembering my brother, and for taking care of him,” said Juanito, who disclosed that he was very close to his brother.
He remembered feeling lonely when Vidal was first stationed in Cebu, but was told by his brother that he had “to go where God tells me to.”
Also joining family, friends and the faithful in remembering Vidal is Malacañang.
“The Palace condoles with the Cebu faithful on the demise of Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal this morning,” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a statement on Wednesday.
Abella added Vidal had a friendly, cordial relationship with President Duterte, despite the CBCP and the government’s frequent ideological clashes.
“We are thankful for the kind bishop’s pastoral role of the Catholic faithful,” Abella said.
Image credits: L’Osservatore Romano/CBCP