Archbishop Orlando B. Quevedo INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines will officially have its eighth cardinal with the formal elevation of Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo to the College of Cardinals in Rome on Saturday.
When Quevedo receives his red hat and ring together with 15 other cardinals across the world from Pope Francis, his colleagues in Mindanao will start regarding him as the “cardinal for peace” because of his work and programs promoting peace in the conflict-stricken region.
“We join in the spirit of joy and gratitude praising the Lord for giving us our first Mindanao cardinal,” said Iligan Bishop Elenito Galido in an interview over Church-run Radio Veritas yesterday. “He will be the cardinal for peacemaking especially in our aspiration for peace in Mindanao,” added the prelate.
As a member of the Vatican’s College of Cardinals, Quevedo will assist the Pope in governing the Catholic Church. One of the main privileges of the College of Cardinals is to elect a successor following the death of the Pope.
The 74-year-old prelate, who served as president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines from 1999 to 2003, will be the country’s second active cardinal, following Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle’s installation two years ago.
The other Filipino cardinals are Rufino Santos, Julio Rosales, Jaime Sin, Ricardo Vidal, Jose Sanchez and Gaudencio Rosales.
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