Cardinal Advincula is the new Archbishop of Manila
Pope Francis chosen the Archbishop of Capiz as the successor of Luis Antonio Tagle. He had already made him cardinal last November. His first words to the Church of the largest diocese in the Philippines were “pray for me”. At the recent consistory, he had indicated that his pastoral priorities include the peripheries, education and the defence of human rights.
Manila (AsiaNews) – The Archdiocese of Manila has a new archbishop, Jose Fuerte Advincula, outgoing archbishop of Capiz, Western Visayas.
Pope Francis appointed him yesterday as the head of the largest diocese in the country. In the consistory of 28 November last year, the pontiff had made him a cardinal, the ninth in the history of the Philippines.
Card Advincula, who will turn 69 on 30 March, becomes the 33rd Archbishop of Manila, replacing Card Luis Antonio Tagle, called to Rome in December 2019 to be the prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples.
Born in 1952 in Dumalag, Archdiocese of Capiz, the new archbishop of Manila became a priest in 1976. He studied psychology at De la Salle University in Manila and then Canon Law, at the Santo Tomas University in Manila and at the Angelicum in Rome.
In 1995 he became rector of the St Pius X Seminary in Capiz and served as parish priest in Santo Tomas de Vilanueva in Dao.
On 25 July 2001 John Paul II appointed him bishop of the Diocese of San Carlos in the Province of Negros Occidentale. On 9 November 2011 Benedict XVI moved him to the metropolitan see in Capiz.
He has also been a member of the Commission for the Doctrine of the Faith and of the Commission for Indigenous Peoples of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines.
“This is a blessing from God through the Holy Father and to the Archdiocese of Capiz,” Card Advincula said in a statement.
“This blessing is not only mine but also for the faithful of the Archdiocese of Capiz, and of course for the entire Philippines,” he added. “I ask the faithful to pray for me as I pray for everyone”.
The two priorities of his ministry are presence in peripheral areas and educating young people. “The Church has to see to it that the human dignity and the human rights of the people are respected,” he said in an interview with Vatican News.
“Poverty is one of the reasons why we have social problems,” the prelate said, and “education is the way to develop the people so that they can earn more in order to live a more decent life.”
Manila’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception greeted the news of the appointment of the new archbishop tolling its bells.
“We are happy to welcome our new shepherd in the archdiocese and we are eager to receive him,” said Bishop Broderick Pabillo, who served as apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Manila for the past year and a half.
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