Cotabato bishop named cardinal

Archbishop Orlando Quevedo reads the Catholic bishops pastoral statement during a Philippine Senate hearing in Manila Philippines. Quevedo is amongst the 19 new cardinals that Pope Francis announced Sunday. (AP FILE PHOTO)

Pope Francis yesterday named his first batch of cardinals, choosing 19 men from Asia, Africa and elsewhere, including the archbishop of Cotabato, Orlando Quevedo.

Vatican observers note that the choice of the cardinals reflect the pope’s attention to the poor. Cotabato, a predominantly Muslim province in southern Philippines, is one of the poorest areas in the country.

The pope made the announcement as he spoke from his studio window to a crowd in St. Peter’s Square. The ceremony to formally install them as “princes of the church” will be held Feb. 22 at the Vatican.

In next month’s consistory, Quevedo and the other cardinal-elects will receive theirs rings and red hats among other symbols to formalize their appointment as “princes of the Catholic Church.”

He will be the 8th Filipino cardinal. The others are Rufino Cardinal Santos, Julio Cardinal Rosales, Jaime Cardinal Sin, Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, Jose Cardinal Sanchez, the former Archbishop of Nueva Segovia and a member of the Roman Curia, Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales and Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, the present Archbishop of Manila.

Quevedo of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), was born in Laoag, Ilocos Norte. He entered the San Jose Seminary in Quezon City in 1954 and was ordained priest on June 5, 1964.

He was ordained bishop on Oct, 28, 1980 and was appointed to oversee the Prelature of Kidapawan in North Cotabato. Quevedo was named Archbishop of Cotabato on May 30, 1998.

Quevedo was a Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines awardee. He defended and promoted justice and peace issues, grassroots empowerment in the Diocese of Kidapawan. Since 1983, Quevedo has been the principal drafter of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Pastoral Letters and Statements.