Ricardo Vidal

Ricardo Tito Jamin Vidal (Latin: Ricardus Titus Vidal; Spanish: Ricardo Tito Vidal y Jamín; 6 February 1931 – 18 October 2017) was a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church. A cardinal since 1985, he was Archbishop of Cebu from 1982 to 2010.

Vidal was born on 6 February 1931 in Mogpog, Marinduque to Faustino S. Vidal of Pila, Laguna, and Natividad Jamin of Mogpog, the fifth of six siblings. In 1937, Vidal received his first communion at the International Eucharistic Celebration. He attended Mogmog Elementary School for his primary education.

Vidal studied at the Minor Seminary of the Most Holy Rosary (now Our Lady of Mount Carmel Seminary) in Sariaya, Quezon, and at the Saint Francis de Sales Seminary in Lipa, Batangas, where he studied philosophy. He also studied theology at the San Carlos Seminary in Makati, Metro Manila.

Vidal was ordained a deacon on 24 September 1955 and as a priest on 17 March 1956 on Lucena,Quezon Province, by Bishop Alfredo Obviar. Vidal became the spiritual director of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Seminary in Sariaya, Quezon.

He was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Malolos on 30 November 1971 and was consecrated bishop by Archbishop Carmine Rocco, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines. Less than two years later, he was appointed Archbishop of Lipa by Pope Paul VI. Pope John Paul II appointed Vidal Coadjutor Archbishop of Cebu in 1981 and he became Archbishop there on 24 August 1982, succeeding Cardinal Julio Rosales.

Cardinal Vidal was a frequent collaborator with Bishop Teofilo Camomot and bore witness to the native Cebuano prelate's claimed miraculous deed. Vidal also helped found the Catechist Missionaries of St. Theresa, a Catholic religious congregation.

Vidal was President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) from 1986 to 1987 and became Chairman of the CBCP-Episcopal Commission on the Clergy in 1989. He was appointed as the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences's Convenor of the Standing Committee (1985 to 1994). He was a delegate to the Synod on Reconciliation (1983), the Extraordinary Synod (1985), the Synod on Priests (1991), and the Synod on Religious Life (1994), and also served as President Delegate at the 1989 Synod on the Laity. He was also a member of the Permanent Council of the Synod from 1989 to 1994. Vidal's posts in the Roman Curia included memberships in the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, the Congregation for Catholic Education, and the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers.

College of Cardinals

On 25 May 1985, he became Cardinal-Priest of Ss. Pietro e Paolo a Via Ostiense. He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI, the only Filipino Cardinal to do so, because Cardinal Jaime Sin's poor health prevented him from attending.

Leadership in the Philippines

Vidal and the Cardinal Archbishop of Manila Jaime Sin supported the 1986 Philippine People Power Revolution. As Archbishop of Cebu and president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, Vidal led the rest of the Philippine prelates and made a joint declaration against the government and the results of the snap election.

In 1989 President Corazon Aquino asked Vidal to convince General Jose Comendador, who was sympathetic to the rebel forces fighting her government, to surrender peacefully. His intervention averted what could have been a bloody coup.

In 2001, during the 2001 People Power Revolution Cardinal Vidal convinced President Joseph Estrada to step down. Estrada was later detained. Vidal along with Senator Manny Villar and House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. wrote a letter appealing to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to grant pardon to Estrada in the "spirit of national unity and reconciliation". Estrada was pardoned and released from detention on October 26, 2007.

Pope Benedict XVI accepted Vidal's resignation as Archbishop of Cebu on 15 October 2010. He was succeeded by Archbishop Jose S. Palma of Palo.

In retirement Vidal lived in Sto. Niño Village in Cebu City. He continued presiding at Masses and attending events organized by the Archdiocese of Cebu. He underwent a coronary angiogram procedure and had a pacemaker installed in 2004. He experienced a mild stroke on 23 September 2013. He was confined to the hospital multiple times beginning in 2014 for pneumonia. He was confined in a hospital in May 2017 for the same illness, given the Catholic sacrament of anointing of the sick on 11 October, and died on 18 October.

Vidal received recognition from the government. On 7 December 2010 the Senate of the Philippines recognized his service to Cebu by Senate Resolution NO. 306: "It is resolved by the Senate, to honor Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, Archbishop of Cebu, for his service to the people of Cebu, providing spiritual leadership and inspiration, helping the community avert or survive several crises and conflicts, often acting as a peacekeeper and giving the voice of moderation amid clashing views and interests in local and national issues."

He also received recognition from the House of Representatives through House Resolution 593. The Province of Cebu gave the highest award that a province could give, the Order of Lapu-lapu. The cities of Cebu and Talisay made him an "adopted son" of the two localities. In March 2009 the University of the Visayas granted him the title of Doctor of Humanities honoris causa.

There have been calls for the late Cardinal Vidal to be proclaimed a saint. It has been well known that Vidal was influential in pushing canonization causes of several Filipinos for sainthood, especially Pedro Calungsod. Filipino Catholics have been urging that Vidal receive the same honor. The Cebu City North District Representative, Raul del Mar, during the necrological service at Vidal's wake, called on the Catholic Church officials to work for the canonization of the prelate whom he describes to have lived a life of holiness and noteworthy humility that is worthy of sainthood. Among those who claim that the beloved archbishop lived a holy life was Senator Vicente Sotto III, who said to the news reporters as he showed a rosary given to him by Vidal, “Now, I have a new friend in heaven. He is praying for me.”