Pablo Virgilio "Ambo" Siongco David (born March 2, 1959) is a Filipino Catholic prelate who has served as Bishop of Kalookan since 2015. He is president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. He was made cardinal on 7 December 2024 by Pope Francis.
Pablo Virgilio David | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Cardinal Bishop of Kalookan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 David in 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Church | Catholic Church | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Province | Manila | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| See | Kalookan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appointed | October 14, 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Installed | January 2, 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Deogracias Iñiguez Jr. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other post(s) |
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| Previous post(s) | Auxiliary Bishop of San Fernando (2006–15) Titular Bishop of Guardialfiera (2006–15) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Orders | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ordination | March 12, 1983 by Oscar Cruz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Consecration | July 10, 2006 by Gaudencio Rosales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created cardinal | December 7, 2024 by Pope Francis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Pablo Virgilio Siongco David March 2, 1959 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Denomination | Roman Catholic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Ateneo de Manila University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Motto | Kenosis (The Act of Emptying) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coat of arms | .svg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ordination history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Styles of Pablo Virgilio David | |
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| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Kalookan |
Early life and education
editPablo Virgilio David was born in Betis, Guagua, Pampanga, on March 2, 1959. He is the 10th of the 13 children of Pedro David and Bienvenida Siongco.[1] One of his siblings is the sociologist and public intellectual Randy David.[2] He attended Mother of Good Counsel Minor Seminary in San Fernando, Pampanga for his secondary education. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Pre-Divinity from Ateneo de Manila University, his master’s degree in Theology from the Loyola School of Theology, and both his licentiate and doctorate (summa cum laude) in Sacred Theology from the KU Leuven in Belgium.
He has also trained at the École Biblique et Archeologique Française de Jerusalem, and is now considered one of the country’s leading Bible experts.
Ministry
editDavid was ordained a priest in March 12, 1983, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando (in Pampanga) by Archbishop Oscar Cruz and on May 26, 2006, was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to be auxiliary bishop of San Fernando and titular bishop of the Diocese of Guardialfiera.[3] He was consecrated as a bishop by Cardinal Gaudencio Borbon Rosales, Archbishop of Manila, with Paciano Aniceto, Archbishop of San Fernando, and Angel Lagdameo, Archbishop of Jaro, as co-consecrators.[4] He became Bishop of Kalookan in January 2016.[5]
He is involved in the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, having been a member of the their Episcopal Commission on Biblical Apostolate and one of the five bishops sent by the organization to participate in the 2008 Synod of Bishops on the Word of God in the Vatican.[6]
David was elected President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines by its 130 members on July 8, 2021, at the start of a two-day plenary assembly. He had been the Vice President from 2017 until 2021, and succeeded former President Romulo Valles on December 1, 2021.[5][7][8]
In 2023, David was elected as the Asian representative to the Sixteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops of seven Members.[9] David was also elected as the vice president of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences in the central committee meeting in Bangkok, succeeding Malcolm Ranjith.[10][11]
On October 6, 2024, Pope Francis appointed him a cardinal effective on December 7, 2024.[12][13] He is the tenth Filipino to join the College of Cardinals, the third Filipino made a cardinal by Pope Francis, the first cardinal from his diocese, and the first cardinal from any diocese in the Philippines.[14] On October 23, the Synod of Bishops elected David a member of the Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod.[15]
On December 7, 2024, Pope Francis made him a cardinal, assigning him as a member of the order of cardinal priests the title of Trasfigurazione di Nostro Signore Gesù Cristo.[16]
Outside the Ministry
editDavid is noted for being a critic of President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.[6][17] On July 19, 2019, the PNP–Criminal Investigation and Detection Group filed charges against David, fellow bishops Honesto Ongtioco and Socrates Villegas, and members of the opposition for "sedition, cyber libel, libel, estafa, harboring a criminal, and obstruction of justice".[18][19] The charges were dropped in 2020.[20]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Patag, Kristine Joy (April 4, 2019). "Bishop David defends mom after Duterte calls him 'son of a whore'". The Philippine Star. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ David, Randy (March 3, 2019). "Ambo @60". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ "Bishop of Kalookan Diocese Pablo Virgilio Siongco David". UCA News. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- ^ "Bishop Pablo Virgilio Siongco David". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- ^ a b Depasupil, William (July 8, 2021). "Staunch Duterte critic named CBCP president". The Manila Times. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- ^ a b Gregorio, Xave (July 8, 2021). "'Drug war' critic Bishop David elected CBCP president". The Philippine Star. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- ^ "Bishop David officially assumes post as CBCP head". Interaksyon. December 1, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
- ^ Bajo, Anna Felicia (July 8, 2021). "Bishop David, drug war critic, is new CBCP president". GMA News Online. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- ^ Esmaquel, Paterno (January 16, 2024). "CBCP head Bishop David elected to crucial body at Vatican summit". Rappler.
- ^ Laqui, Ian (February 23, 2024). "CBCP President elected VP of Federation of Bishops in Asia". The Philippine Star. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
- ^ Carvalho, Nirmala (February 24, 2024). "Asia elects new leaders for continental Bishops' Conference". Crux. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
- ^ "Calendar of Celebrations presided over by the Holy Father Francis (November – December 2024), 12.10.2024". Holy See Press Office. October 10, 2024. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ Tenedero, Erik (December 7, 2024). "Philippines' Bishop Ambo now a cardinal". ABS-CBN. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ Tenedero, Erik (October 6, 2024). "Pope Francis picks PH's Bishop Pablo David as new cardinal". ABS-CBN. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ "Synod elects new members to Ordinary Council". Vatican News. October 24, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
- ^ "Concistoro Ordinario Pubblico: Assegnazione dei Titoli e delle Diaconie ai nuovi Cardinali, 07.12.2024" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. December 7, 2024. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
- ^ "Bishop critical of Duterte drug war is new CBCP president". ABS-CBN News. July 8, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- ^ "Robredo, ilang taga-oposisyon kinasuhan ng PNP-CIDG ukol sa 'Bikoy' videos". ABS-CBN News (in Tagalog). July 19, 2019.
- ^ "Sedition raps: Solons, bishop hit 'stupid' PNP". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- ^ "Prosecutors drop sedition charges against Philippine bishops". Union of Catholic Asian News. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
External links
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