By Louisa Erispe
The Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) announced that at around 12 noon in Rome (7:00 p.m. in Manila) on Thursday, the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord, Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Jose Advincula of Capiz the new Archbishop of Manila.
Cardinal Advincula will succeed Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who is now Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in the Vatican.
The archdiocese has been without an archbishop since Tagle left for Rome in February 2020. Bishop Broderick Pabillo served as administrator of the archdiocese while waiting for the appointment of a new archbishop.
The CBCP congratulated Advincula on his appointment as the 33rd archbishop of Manila and offered him prayers and support for his new mission.
“We wish the archbishop-elect God’s abundant blessing in his new mission and offer him our continued prayers and support,” said CBCP President Archbishop Romulo Valles.
Know the new archbishop
Cardinal Advincula was born on March 30, 1952 in Dumalag town, Capiz, Western Visayas.
Following his priestly ordination on April 14, 1979, Advincula was appointed spiritual director as well as professor and dean of studies at St. Pius X Seminary. He then studied at the Pontifical University of San Tommaso d’Aquino-Angelicum in Rome, Italy, and obtained a licentiate in canon law.
Upon returning to the Philippines, Advincula served in the seminary of Vigan, Nueva Segovia and in the regional seminary of Jaro. In 1995 he was appointed rector of the St. Pius X Seminary of Capiz, and also served as Defender of the Bond, Promoter of Justice, and judicial vicar in the same archdiocese. In 1999 he was appointed parish priest of St. Thomas of Villanueva at Dao.
Saint Pope John Paul II appointed him bishop of San Carlos on July 25, 2001, and he was consecrated bishop on September 8. After 10 years, Pope Benedict XVI transferred him to his native archdiocese of Capiz as archbishop on November 9, 2011. Pope Francis created him a cardinal at the consistory of November 28, 2020.
Manila is considered to be the largest archdiocese of the Philippines, with 3 million Catholics in more than 80 parishes. Cardinal Advincula will now handle this primatial ecclesiastical seat in the Catholic Church in the Philippines.
The archbishop is expected to play a major role in the celebration of the 500th Anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines, which will formally begin on April 4, Easter Sunday, and end on April 22, 2021.
