Cebuanos will miss a ‘true shepherd’
At noon, the “De Profundis” bells of the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño filled the air with their somber notes. Words of comfort and praise followed soon: Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, Cebu’s archbishop for nearly 29 years, is gone, but he will not be forgotten.
The tributes arrived swiftly. Pope Francis sent a message of condolence, in which he praised Cardinal Vidal “for his constant advocacy of dialogue and peace for all the people in the Philippines.”
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), which relayed the Vatican’s message, also paid tribute to Vidal, the most senior among four Filipino cardinals.
“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,” said CBCP President Archbishop Socrates Villegas.
‘A great and inspiring leader’
The Cebu Provincial Board (PB) unanimously passed a resolution expressing their deep sorrow and sympathy to the family and the entire diocese of Cebu.
Gov. Hilario Davide III expressed his family’s “deepest and sincerest condolence” to Cardinal Vidal’s family and the Cebu clergy. “We have lost a great and inspiring church leader and faithful and devoted servant of God,” Davide said.
“A true shepherd of the lord’s flock in Cebu, he will be missed and will forever remain in the hearts of those whose lives he had touched. We thank the Almighty for Cardinal Vidal. The Cebuanos will miss you, Cardinal Vidal,” the governor added.
Malacañang, in its condolences, gave thanks “for the kind bishop’s pastoral role among the Catholic faithful” and described Cardinal Vidal’s relationship with President Rodrigo Duterte as “friendly and cordial.”
Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, the seat of the archdiocese, will stay open for 24 hours today and tomorrow to give people enough time to pay their final respects to Cardinal Vidal, who had made Cebu his home for nearly half his lifetime. The wake will then be moved to the Archbishop’s Residence.
Msgr. Ruben Labajo, who heads the Cathedral’s team of pastors, said that Cardinal Vidal’s remains will be placed at left side of church in front of the retablo of St. Vitales of Milan or San Vidal, patron saint of the Cathedral. The burial will take place on Oct. 26. A block away, when the Basilica’s bells rang, people stopped and bowed their heads to pray. The Augustinian community appealed for more prayers.
In the nearly 30 years he led the Catholic Church in Cebu, Cardinal Vidal was more than a religious figure.
He was “a spiritual inspiration not only for the faithful of Cebu but the rest of the country,” read the resolution PB Member Sun Shimura put forward. But he was also “an icon of solidarity between the church and the government” and PB Member Raul Bacaltos added, “a symbol of Cebuano unity.”