Latest news with #PabloVirgilioDavid
Sky News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Conclave live: It's black smoke again as cardinals divided on new pope after third ballot
Seven cardinals most discussed overnight, according to Vatican sources Seven cardinals were most discussed overnight, according to Vatican sources. While this is no guarantee that any of them will win, we know the first vote was significant for solidifying who had support and who didn't. The names are: Pietro Parolin Pietro Parolin is widely considered one of the frontrunners for the next papacy. The 70-year-old Italian has been the Vatican's secretary of state, a role referred to as the "deputy pope", since 2013 and was closely associated with Pope Francis. If he is elected, it will be the first time in almost 50 years that the role has gone to a native Italian. He is also acting as Dean of the College of Cardinals while the conclave is ongoing as the usual dean, Giovanni Battista Re, is aged over 80. Pierbattista Pizzaballa Another Italian, Cardinal Pizzaballa is the current head of the Vatican's Latin office in Jerusalem and has spent more than three decades in the city. He has devoted himself to the Middle East and most recently the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Pablo Virgilio David Pope Francis made the 66-year-old Filipino a cardinal on 7 December 2024, making him one of the later additions to the conclave. Angel Fernandez Artime Born in 1960, Artime was another cardinal put in place by Francis. The Spaniard became a cardinal in March last year. Cristobal Lopez Romero The Moroccan is another one of those brought in by Francis to the conclave. He has described not wanting to be pope himself so much, Crux reported, that if he saw any chance of it happening, he'd start running from Rome until he hit Sicily. Robert Francis Prevost The American was brought to the Vatican in 2023 to serve as the powerful head of the office that vets bishop nominations from around the world - one of the most important jobs in the Catholic Church. But despite this power, there has been previous reluctance to elect an American pope - could that be about to change? Jean-Marc Aveline The 66-year-old is Archbishop of Marseille and is part of the more progressive camp within the cardinals, aligned with Francis.
South China Morning Post
08-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Philippines badly needs more Catholic priests. Could a Filipino pope boost clergy ranks?
As cardinals gather in the Vatican to elect a new pope – with a Filipino among the favourites – the church in Asia's most Catholic country is grappling with a decline in those with a vocation for the priesthood. Advertisement 'According to the statistics we have … one priest is catering to around 9,000 Catholics,' John Alfred Rabena, chancellor of UST Central Seminary, one the country's oldest, said this week. It is a situation that was leading to 'exhaustion' among an overworked clergy, he said during a visit to the seminary's art deco building on the sprawling University of Santo Tomas campus. Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is among the favourites to succeed Pope Francis, while another Filipino, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, has emerged as a late dark horse candidate. While officially cautioned not to campaign for their countrymen, clergymen in the Philippines said they believe a Filipino pope could inspire a surge in recruits to the flagging ranks of the priesthood. Advertisement Father Robert Reyes, a well-known activist priest, said he sounded the alarm during his 1987-98 tenure as national vocation director of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
The Star
05-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines head on Trump pope tweet: Insensitive, not funny
Philippine Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David touches a portrait of Pope Francis after a mass at the Manila Cathedral in Manila on April 22, 2025. - AFP MANILA: Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David denounced the artificial intelligence (AI)-generated photo shared by US President Donald Trump that portrayed him as the pope. 'The following AI-generated photo was posted by the US president himself, a few days after he attended the funeral of Pope Francis and while the Catholic world is still mourning. With all due respect to his office and to the American people, we'd like him to know it's not funny,' said David, Kalookan bishop and president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. The Catholic Church concluded on Sunday (May 4) its nine days of mourning after Pope Francis was laid to rest on April 26. But speculations on who will be the next leader of the Catholic Church have grown louder ahead of the conclave set to begin on Wednesday. David, who will take part in that assembly, again reminded the faithful that 'The conclave is a sacred moment, guided not by popularity or strategy, but by prayer, humility and the collective listening of the Church's shepherds to God's will.' In the United States, the New York State Catholic Conference said: 'There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President. We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter. Do not mock us.' The image featuring Trump in a white cassock and pointed miter, or bishop's hat, was reposted by the White House from his Truth Social site. It was the topic of several questions during the Vatican's conclave briefing on Saturday, while Italian and Spanish news reports lamented its poor taste. — AP and Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
