A 2006 column titled ‘Ricardo’
Cerge Remonde called Cardinal Vidal a holy and great man. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said “when a great man dies, the light he leaves behind him lies on the paths of men”
(A News Sense column in this paper 11 years ago took up the question whether the title of a church dignitary shouldn’t be used with his name in a newspaper headline. May His Eminence Ricardo Vidal, archbishop of Cebu at the time, be simply referred to as “Vidal” in the title above a news story? Other than a peek into journalism practice, the short piece gave some insight into the man who led the Catholic Church in Cebu for decades. Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, who was succeeded by Archbishop Jose Palma six years ago, died yesterday. He was 86.)
Areader once called the news desk and asked an editor if calling the archbishop of Cebu Vidal --just “Vidal” minus his title -- in the headline of a news story was not being disrespectful.
“Archbishop” is too long a word to squeeze into a headline’s tight space. Even the word “cardinal” poses a problem, especially if there’s more compelling information to include in the headline.
Editors all over the world see no irreverence in dropping from the headline a person’s title, be he pope or rascal. Thus, Pope Benedict XVI is just Pope or Pope Ben and Garcillano is just Garci.
Besides, the cardinal doesn’t mind. On the contrary, I heard, he complained, perhaps in jest, about not being called “Ricardo” in the story title.
If the governor is “Gwen,” the Mandaue City mayor is “Ted” and the Cebu City mayor is “Tomas,” why can’t the cardinal see “Ricardo” in the headline?
“Gwen” is intimate, “Ted” is cute, and “Tomas” is, well, Tomas. A common trait among the three most-frequently-written headlines in local papers is, correct, brevity.
Headline writers love one-pulse words. “Jaime” was long but “Sin” was marvelous, deliciously so.
I first met Cebu’s spiritual leader shortly after he reported for his assignment as the archbishop’s coadjutor. Lugging a bulky tape-recorder to his temporary residence, then at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral “convento,” I asked him, What do you seek for Cebu? Gently, almost a whisper, he said, “Peace.”
Gentle peace-seeker Ricardo turned 75 yesterday.-- First published Feb. 7, 2006
Cardinal’s legacy
His death yesterday, Oct. 18, evoked images of Ricardo Vidal as peace-seeker. Whenever conflict broke out, in the occasional tumult in Cebu’s politics, governance and society, he was the mediator who brought feuding groups to the negotiating table.
The images Cebuanos remember of Cardinal Vidal were those of the man between, the broker for peace. Though there was a time after his retirement that some protest groups exploited his good name and influence to prop up their dissent, that did little to tarnish his work of inspiring his flock and helping resolve discord in the community.
In one “merienda cena” that the cardinal would treat church co-workers and friends with after a Christmas eve mass at the archbishop’s residence, the late Cerge Remonde, broadcaster-turned-Cabinet- member from Cebu, told him, “You’re not only a holy man, you’re a great man.” Cardinal Vidal promptly put a finger to his lips to shush Cerge.