MANILA, Philippines — Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, the most senior cardinal in the country at 86 years old, passed away Wednesday morning.
According to a report from The STAR, Vidal passed away at around 7:28 a.m. at the Perpetual Succour Hospital in Cebu City.
Monsignor Joseph Tan, Vidal's spokesperson, confirmed the death, The Freeman reported.
Vidal had been brought to the hospital last week for fever and difficulty in breathing, The Freeman had earlier reported. Vidal's physician, Dr. Rene Josef Bullecer, said earlier this week that his "health is relatively unstable".
READ: Cardinal’s health still unstable: Prayers for Vidal
Vidal, who is from Marinduque, was ordained a priest in 1959 and became the Archbishop of Lipa in 1973.
In 1981, he was appointed by the late Pope John Paul II as Coadjutor Archbishop of Cebu before becoming the province’s archbishop in less than a year.
— Patricia Lourdes Viray
This is a developing story.