GMA, Erap pay last respects to Vidal

More political figures visited the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral to pay their last respects to the late Ricardo Cardinal Vidal who was considered as one of the most influential Catholic Church leaders in his lifetime.

After President Rodrigo Duterte's visit on Monday, former president and now congresswoman Gloria Macapagal Arroyo visited the wake of the well-loved prelate on Tuesday shortly before noon yesterday.

“I would like to express my deepest sympathies to the Catholic faithful of the Philippines. Because he was the prince of the Church, we loved him very much,” said Arroyo after the requiem mass she attended.

For Arroyo, Vidal was not only a man of peace but also a “man of reconciliation”.

Vidal was one of the few people who pushed her to reconcile her political indifferences with her predecessor, former president Joseph Estrada.

“He always wanted to reconcile everyone. He once advised me to visit President Estrada when he was in detention,” Arroyo recalled.

At around 7 p.m. yesterday, Estrada also arrived at the wake to pay his last respects to Vidal.

Several other politicians, former and incumbent, had already visited the wake of Vidal in the past days like Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Senators Joseph Victor “JV Ejercito and Vicente “Tito” Sotto.

There are reports that Vice President Leni Robredo will be coming but Msgr. Joseph Tan, media liaison officer of Cebu archdiocese, said there was no confirmation as of yesterday.

In a press conference yesterday noon, he expressed gratitude to all those who made time to be in Cebu to visit Vidal's wake.

Aside from the VIPs, he said, the archdiocese is also honored for the "undying" love the public has shown for the late cardinal who died on October 18.

The Cebu archdiocese earlier confirmed that more than 20 bishops are coming to Cebu on Vidal's funeral day, including a number of delegations from the dioceses of Lucena, Lipa, Malolos and Marinduque.

Since the Apostolic Nuncio or Vatican ambassador to the Philippines is out of the country, Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia is sending his secretary, Msgr. Gabriel Viola, as his representative.

Vidal's wake and the 24hour public viewing will end Wednesday midnight.

The cathedral will be cleared from people and will be closed from visitors to allow staff to prepare for the funeral service. The cathedral will be reopened at 7 a.m.

The public is discouraged from bringing bags and balloons during the funeral. Private vehicles are prohibited from entering the cathedral vicinity to minimize traffic congestion. Only selected service vehicles will be allowed to enter.

Vidal will be laid to rest at 9 a.m. on October 26 at the Cathedral mausoleum.—

May B. Miasco/MBG