Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma prays over his predecessor, Archbishop Emeritus of Cebu Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, who is confined at the Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center in Sta. Cruz, Manila after he had suffered vomiting due to pneumonia two weeks ago.
PHOTO BY FR. JAPHETH GEONZON
CEBU Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal remains at a hospital in Manila after he had suffered vomiting following his visit at a religious congregation in Tayabas, Quezon two weeks ago.
Fr. Joseph de Aquino, Vidal’s secretary, said the condition might have been triggered by pneumonia that landed the cardinal in the hospital for a number of times since 2014.
“He’s doing well now. There’s nothing to worry. Perhaps, he will be discharged by Sunday or in an earlier date,” De Aquino told Cebu Daily News.
“He has to be brought to the hospital as a precautionary measure. We just could not be complacent because we are dealing with pneumonia here,” he added.
Vidal, 86, and the country’s most senior cardinal, attended the annual gathering of nuns at the Missionary Catechists of St. Therese (MCST) in Tayabas, Quezon two weeks ago.
The congregation was founded by the late Bishop Alfredo Maria Aranda Obviar whose cause for sainthood has been processed by the Catholic Church.
When Obviar died in 1978, Cardinal Vidal, whom he ordained to the priesthood, looked after the MCST.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma and some priests from the Archdiocese of Cebu visited Vidal at the Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center in Sta. Cruz, Manila on Wednesday.
Fr. Zenon Guanzon, the secretary of Archbishop Palma, said Vidal is recuperating well.
“He just have to rest. He’s actually okay now,” Guanzon told Cebu Daily News over the phone.
Fr. Japheth Geonzon, the archdiocesan liturgical master of ceremonies, posted a photo on Facebook to show that the well-loved cardinal is fine.
“He is very well and okay now. Praise the Lord,” he said in a text message to Cebu Daily News.
Vidal is accompanied at the hospital room by a deacon of the Society of the Angel of Peace and a caregiver.
Even as Vidal’s medical condition continues to improve, calls to pray for the cardinal’s complete healing continue.
“Let us continue praying for Cardinal Vidal,” Fr. Guanzon said.
Since 2014, Vidal has been going in and out of the hospital due to pneumonia. Last February, he was also confined at the hospital for the same ailment.
In 2004, Vidal underwent a coronary angiogram procedure, an examination of the heart and blood vessels, and had a pacemaker installed to monitor his heart beat.
On Sept. 23, 2013, Vidal was rushed to the hospital after a mild stroke.
Vidal was archbishop of Cebu for 29 years before he retired in 2011. The native of Mogpog in Marinduque chose to spend his retirement years in Cebu where he continues to preside over Masses and attend special events in the country’s biggest archdiocese.
Since his retirement, he has been staying at the Sto. Niño Village in Banilad, Cebu City.