EXECS HONOR LIFE OF ‘THE MOST PLEASANT PRIEST’
Cebu City Hall, which gave a lifetime service award to Cardinal Vidal in 2014, placed the Philippine flag at half-staff. Lapu mayor says Vidal’s passing a big loss to Cebuanos whom he had inspired for so many years.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said public servants should learn from the life of Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, who died yesterday morning.
He said the late prelate is a classic example of being a Cebuano by choice whose greatest contribution in Cebu was to provide sense of stability for the Catholic Church.
“He is one of the most pleasant priest I ever met. Many public servants can learn from him. He is part of us and we will miss him,” the mayor said.
Councilor Margarita “Margot” Osmeña, the mayor’s wife, said that Vidal used to visit her husband when he was still sick without letting everyone around know that he is one of the highest church official.
Margot is saddened by Vidal’s passing but she believes that he is already at peace.
“Like most people, we’re sad but we know that he has been sick for quite some time. It’s God’s time, God’s will. I always think that way,” she said.
Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella also mourns Vidal’s death but he is consoled that the latter is already with the creator.
“He is my guiding light, not only on a personal basis, but also in my political career. I always seek guidance from him whenever I run for public office,” he said.
During its 77th Charter Day celebration in 2014, the Cebu City Government conferred to Vidal a lifetime service award for his contribution in the Catholic Church.
With the prelate’s death, City Hall placed the Philippine flag on half-mast.
Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa, for his part, urged the public to pray for the soul of Vidal
“Even if he is a Cardinal, it’s still God who will bring him to heaven, right? So let’s pray that his soul will rest in peace,” he told reporters yesterday.
Dela Rosa, as chief of the Philippine National Police, enforces President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on illegal drugs, which drew heavy criticisms from human rights group for the killings of suspected drug pushers, including minors.
Duterte, however, ordered the police to stop their drug busts last week and designated the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency as the sole law enforce- ment unit to carry out anti-illegal drug operations.
Last Feb. 6, on his 86th birthday, Vidal told reporters in an interview that he believed Duterte is a good man. He urged the faithful to pray for the President despite his tirades against the Catholic Church.
“We should be grateful for having a Cardinal like him, one who is practical. Though he does not totally agree with our campaign, he also did not say that he is totally against what we are doing because he knows the situation on the ground,” dela Rosa said.
City officials in the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu remember Vidal as a father, a great adviser, and a gentle and loving person.
Mandaue Mayor Gabriel Luis Quisumbing said that the death of the Cardinal is difficult for him because the prelate was the second degree cousin of his grandmother.
“She ( grandmother) had a very special relationship with him and when she was alive, she loved him very much. As a matter of fact, when she passed away years ago, the Cardinal was one of the first to come and to condole with the family so we will miss him very much,” he said.
Lapu-Lapu Mayor Paz Radaza, for her part, said that the Cardinal was the adviser of the City Government when it comes to big religious events.
Radaza said the passing of the prelate is a big loss to the Cebuanos for he had been an inspiration to everyone.
“People, I think, will miss him because he was a father and adviser to the people,” she said. /