MANILA, Philippines — Following his appointment by Pope Francis as one of the new “princes” of the Catholic Church, Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David received the papal advice to “not take things too seriously.”
David, one of 21 bishops and priests to be elevated to the College of Cardinals on the Feast of Immaculate Concepcion on Dec. 8, met with the pope at the Vatican, according to the Facebook page of the Diocese of Kalookan on Wednesday.
Conversing in Spanish, David introduced himself as one of the bishops from the Philippines and added, “You changed my life again!”
David told Francis of his surprise at being made a new cardinal in an announcement during noontime Angelus.
Laughing, the pope told David, “Don’t take things too seriously, Pablo. Take it with a grain of humor, God’s humor. OK?”
Toward the end, Francis gave David his blessing.
David has been vocal against the bloody war on drugs waged by former president Rodrigo Duterte.
He will become the third Filipino cardinal following former Manila archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and his successor Jose Cardinal Advincula.