Thousands showed up for the funeral Mass and procession as Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal was brought to his final resting place at the mausoleum behind the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.
CDN PHOTOS/JUNJIE MENDOZA
The success and solemnity of the funeral procession and burial of Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal was attributed by the church and government officials to the public.
Msgr. Joseph Tan, the spokesperson of Archdiocese of Cebu, said the thing they feared most did not happen.
“Nadali ang procession kay ang atong gikahadlukan wala nahitabo. Gikahadlukan nato nga modasmag ang mga taw. Ni-project ta nga mosuway og kab-ot sa lungon ni cardinal mao nga atong huna-huna nga mahinay ang procession ug delikado,” Msgr. Tan said.
(The procession was orderly because the thing we feared the most did not happen. We were afraid that people would rush towards the coffin of the cardinal, so we thought the funeral procession would be slow and dangerous.)
Contrary to their fears, the people who attended Vidal’s funeral were well-behaved and followed the rules during the event yesterday.They were polite and respected the solemnity of the procession, said Tan.
This was a clear showing of how much the Cebuanos held Vidal with affection and respect, he added.
“Mao ning higayuna nga ma-proud ta (as) Cebuanos. Again napakita nato sa tibuok kalibutan nga kahibaw ta maghigugma sa nahigugma kanato. We did ourselves proud for showing our real affection to one of the beloved pastors in our church, and that is Cardinal Vidal,” Msgr. Tan said.
The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) and Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CCDRRMO) estimated the number of people who attended the procession and burial yesterday at more or less 55,000.
The Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral opened at exactly 7 a.m., and there were already 5,000 waiting outside.
As the Mass started, the number of people increased.
CCPO director, Senior Supt. Joel Doria said the funeral and burial was generally peaceful.
“We were able to pull off what we had planned for security,” Doria said.
CCDRRMO listed at least 10 people who fainted during the Mass and procession.
However, CCDRRMO head Nagiel Bañacia said that all were safe.