Senators recall fond memories with late Cardinal Vidal

Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal INQUIRER.net file photo

Senators whose lives have been touched by Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal extended their condolences following his passing on Wednesday morning. He was 86.

READ: Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, 86

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of His Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, but at the same time, immensely blessed that our lives have been touched by a man who lived by faith—in God, in the Filipino people, in his country,” Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said in a statement Wednesday.

Pangilinan lauded Vidal whose services extended not just in the church, but also among the poor and voiceless.

“He was aware about the ills of society and was never afraid to speak about them, and call out the country’s leaders for collective action,” the senator added.

In 1986, as president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Pangilinan said Vidal signed the pastoral letter that called that year’s snap elections as fraudulent, which “gave the moral impetus” to the first Edsa People Power Revolution.

“In 2001, he quietly visited then President (Joseph) Estrada to leave Malacañang to avert violence. He also voiced out his views on controversies hounding the Arroyo and Aquino administrations,” he said.

Senator Joel Villanueva, meanwhile, said Vidal’s legacy to “encourage others to be compassionate,” would be carried on through the lives of those he influenced.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Cardinal Vidal and millions of Catholics who are mourning the loss of an esteemed servant of God,” Villanueva said in a separate statement.

“You will be profoundly missed, Cardinal Vidal,” he added.

Senator Nancy Binay also gave her message to the late cardinal whom she described as a “rock and foundation of their family’s spiritual life.”

“Cardinal Vidal was a rock and a foundation of our family’s spiritual life; and he and my father enjoyed a cordial friendship through the years,” she said.

Details of Vidal’s interment had yet to be discussed, according to Msgr. Joseph Tan, the spokesperson of the Archdiocese of Cebu. There was also no full details on Vidal’s cause of death but Tan said it may be due to his age.

“The doctors’ last bulletin was that he was in stable condition. But as it is, his heart may have given up due to his age,” Tan noted. /jpv