Cebu archbishop relates experiences at Vatican, conclave
May 15, 2005
"Tell the Filipinos, my greetings to all of them, and my blessings to all, and please tell them also to pray for me."
(Manila Bulletin, 10-May-2005) This was the message of Pope Benedict XVI to Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal before the Cardinal left for Cebu after nearly a month in the Vatican where he attended the funeral rites for the late Pope John Paul II and later the conclave that resulted in the election of the new pope.
"I will share with you the apostolic blessing that has been gifted by the pope to all Filipinos. You are the first group to receive this blessing," the Cardinal told thousands of parishioners, led by Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano, Monsignor Adelito Abella, and pilgrims who gathered at the National Shrine of Saint Joseph for last Sunday’s pontifical fiesta mass.
Fresh from the papal conclave in the Vatican, Cardinal Vidal said he would refuse any offer to work at the Roman curia, the church’s equivalent of a government’s Cabinet.
Vidal, reacting to speculations that he will be joining the Vatican when he retires, said: "I am already old. I am reaching my retirement. I will retire next year. I am already tired."
Church law mandates retirement for cardinals when they turn 75. Vidal will reach retirement age on Feb. 6, 2006, less than nine months from today. But the Cardinal said he would rather stay in Cebu with the Cebuanos than work in the Vatican.
The archbishop, who has been a cardinal for about two decades now, told reporters last Sunday about his experiences at the Vatican conclave.
"It was a very, very extraordinary experience. Unrepeatable. Because we don’t know when will be the next conclave," he said.
"I’m already 75, and in five years I will be 80. This means I will not be able to enter anymore, according to the present disposition of the Church. So this might be my first and last."
Vidal also said: "But it was a very, very humbling and, at the same time, a joyful experience. I experienced for the first time the influence of the Holy Spirit. How can you imagine 115 electors to converge at once to choose one person in a short time?"
The prelate’s seniority won him front row position at the funeral of the late pope and the investiture mass for Pope Benedict XVI.
Cebu archbishop relates experiences at Vatican, conclave