Retired Vidal: I’ll continue working for the Church

On the second year of his retirement, Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal celebrated the 28th anniversary of his elevation to the College of Cardinals with a Mass at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral  yesterday.

“As much as I can, I will still continue working for the Church because there are still so many needs in the Church especially in catechizing  people and educating them in the knowledge of God,” he said.

Among those present were Cebu Auxiliary Bishops Julito Cortes and Emilio Bataclan as well as Bishop Emeritus Ireneo Amantillo of Tandag in Surigao del Sur.

Vidal expressed gratitude to God for giving him a  long life.

“In my 28 years (as a cardinal), I thank the Lord for allowing me to live long. It’s not easy to live as a cardinal for more than 20 years but the Lord has allowed me to live long and to serve the Church in the Philippines,” he told reporters.

When asked if he has still something to ask God for, Vidal replied “that I would be able to follow the designs of the Lord for whatever purpose He has for me.”

Vidal celebrated his anniversary of being appointed cardinal on the eve of the Feast of the Holy Trinity.

He thanked God for allowing him to join in two papal elections, where he voted in the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI, and later as a non-elector in the conclave that chose Pope Francis.

Vidal said the relationship between the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit should be manifested in one’s dealings with neighbors and God.

“Our God is a God of dialogue, not of impositions. He invites us to dialogue with him through prayer,” he said.

Vidal was 54 years old when he and 27 bishops were chosen cardinals in the “extraordinary consistory” or gathering of  cardinals with Pope John Paul II in the Vatican on May 25, 1985.

Vidal lives out his retirement in a private residence in Sto. Niño Village but is still sought after for advice by  bishops, priests and lay people. He headed the Cebu Commission that prepared for the 2012 canonization of Pedro Calungsod and the saint’s national thanksgiving