Press Release
October 18, 2017

MESSAGE OF SEN. PANGILINAN
ON THE PASSING OF CARDINAL VIDAL

We are deeply saddened by the passing of His Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, but at the same time, immensely blessed that our lives have been touched by a man who lived by faith -- in God, in the Filipino people, in his country.

Cardinal Vidal professed a calling that is not just within the walls of his congregation and the church, but in communities, especially among the poor and voiceless.

He was aware about the ills of society and was never afraid to speak about them, and call out the country's leaders for collective action.

He had an incisive political judgment and played a historic role in dealing with past presidents. In 1986, as president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, he signed the pastoral letter that called that year's snap elections fraudulent. This gave the moral impetus to the first Edsa People Power Revolution.

In 2001, he quietly visited then President Estrada to leave Malacanang to avert violence. He also voiced out his views on controversies hounding the Arroyo and Aquino administrations.

Cardinal Vidal brought the church at the center of the lives of the Filipino people and has shown how God works in mysterious ways.

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