By Arnold Carl Sancover
It is not a requirement for a big and old archdiocese such as Cebu to have an archbishop who is a cardinal. There is also no clear requirement as to how one becomes a cardinal because it is the personal prerogative of the pope as to who he will appoint as one unlike future bishops and archbishops who come from a shortlist of names submitted by the Papal Nuncio to the College of Bishops.
But as advisors to the pope and future candidates to the papacy, I guess cardinals are expected to have a certain degree of eloquence, intelligence and management skills. Being able to speak multiple languages especially Italian and Latin should be a plus factor. Cardinal Luis Tagle speaks French and Italian perfectly.
I am not discounting Archbishop Palma’s capabilities but Bishop Pablo Virgilio David really impressed the pope with his intelligence and eloquence when he (Bishop David) delivered various speeches, as president and representative of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, during the last Synod a few days ago. The pope must have been moved from his seat listening to Bishop David.
There are a few other bishops who are like Bishop David in terms of intelligence and eloquence, such as Archbishop Socrates Villegas of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan and our very own Bishop Dennis Villarojo, who is the bishop of Malolos in Bulacan.
Who knows they will become future cardinals too.