Jose Cardinal Sanchez, the fifth Filipino to be elevated to the Vatican’s College of Cardinals, died early morning Friday at the age of 91. He was to turn 92 on March 17.
The retired prelate, who returned from Rome in 2010 after 25 years to help the Catholic Church fight the controversial reproductive health bill, succumbed to multiple organ failure after a weeklong confinement at Cardinal Santos Memorial Medical Center in San Juan.
His nephew, Manolo Sanchez, disclosed to CBCPNews, the official news service of the Philippine Church hierarchy, that Sanchez had been in and out of the hospital prior to his death.
Sanchez was brought to University of Santo Tomas hospital on Feb. 11 and returned home after two weeks. “He always wanted to go home,” said his nephew.
Interment March 12
His body was initially brought to the Dominican Daughters of the Immaculate Mother on Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City, where he resided following his return from Rome last year. They were transferred at 5 a.m. today (Saturday) to the Cathedral Shrine of the Good Shepherd on Regalado Avenue, Fairview Park in Quezon City.
His burial has been scheduled on March 12 at 10 a.m. He will be interred in a tomb prepared for him at the cathedral’s crypt. Retired Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal will officiate the Holy Mass and deliver the homily, according to Novaliches Bishop Antonio Tobias.
“We apologize for the rather short wake in his honor. But we could not fulfill his wish not to be embalmed for the sake of his many friends and relatives who would want to say a prayer at his bier and make their last farewell,” said Tobias.
CBCP president and Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma described Sanchez as a “prelate of passionate love: he loved God and loved the Church with joy and dedication.”
“He left a legacy of ministry worthy of emulation and was a source of pride for the Filipinos,” said Palma.
‘Gift of service’
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle also thanked God for Sanchez, whom he said was “a gift of service” to both the Church and the society. “We trust that the Lord would grant him the reward promised to faithful servants. Let us pray for his eternal repose.”
Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz remembered Sanchez as a very emotional man of God, especially when holding Holy Masses. “He was very sensitive as far as Holy Mass was concerned. He felt it so much that he cried—and that was in every Mass,” recalled Cruz.
Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani said Sanchez was a big loss to the Church, especially in defending family and life.
“Very few have reached his stature. He served the Church very well in all his best capacity … he was also a staunch prolife advocate after he retired [from the Vatican] and returned home,” said Bacani over Church-run Radio Veritas.
During Friday’s news briefing in Malacañang, President Aquino also extended his condolences to the prelate in a statement delivered by presidential deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte.
“We join the Catholic faithful in mourning the passing of His Eminence Jose Cardinal Sanchez, archbishop emeritus of Nueva Segovia. The loss of Cardinal Sanchez will be deeply felt by the Catholic Church and the world over,” said Valte.
International level
Sanchez was among the illustrious members of the Philippine Catholic hierarchy, although he did most of his work on the international level as president of the Roman Curia’s Congregation for the Clergy, said Bacani.
A native of Pandan, Catanduanes province, the late Cardinal was ordained priest in Naga City at the age of 26 in 1946. He rose from assistant pastor of San Raphael Parish in Legazpi City to vicar general of the Legazpi Diocese.
Some 22 years later, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Caceres and titular bishop of Lesvi. The papal nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Carmine Rocco ordained him to the episcopacy.
At 51, he was named coadjutor bishop of Lucena and was appointed archbishop of Nueva Segovia on Jan. 12, 1982. He was designated secretary of the Congregation for Evangelization of Peoples in the Vatican in 1985.
In 1991, he was elevated to cardinal, becoming the fifth Filipino to be named to the College of Cardinals. Pope John Paul II subsequently named him prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy and was appointed president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See.
He resigned from the position at 73. He also retired as prefect of the Roman Curia’s congregation in 1996 but stayed in Rome until December 2010 when he decided to come back to the Philippines to help the bishops campaign against the birth control measure.
Campaigner vs birth control
In an interview with CBCPNews upon his return, Sanchez said he left Rome to come home precisely because of the problems the country is facing, especially on family. “I’m 91 years old already but I want to go home to the Philippines and somehow use my voice in the pastoral life of the Church.”
He said that he wanted to lend his voice in campaigning against the family planning measure.
Novaliches Bishop Tobias on Friday advised those who want to pay their last respects to the late cardinal to skip the flower offerings and instead donate to his “favorite concern,” which was supporting vocations for the priesthood or consecrated religious life.
“Contributions are being accepted at the parish office, at the chancery of this diocese and at a designated table within the cathedral’s premises,” said Tobias in a statement.
Apart from the regular Masses in the Cathedral on Sundays and weekdays, two more Masses have been scheduled at 9 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. during the wake, said the bishop.
Since the late cardinal also loved music, various choirs in the diocese would be rendering their own repertoire of sacred music for at least half an hour at night during the wake following the last Mass of the day. With a report from Norman Bordadora