Archbishop Quevedo, New Cardinal From Mindanao

On January 12, 2014 Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, just after the Angelus over St. Peter’s Square in Rome, Pope Francis announced the election of several Bishops to the College of Cardinals.

Archbishop of Cotabato, Orlando Quevedo became the first ever Cardinal coming from Mindanao. He is the eighth Filipino Cardinal.

He will receive the “red hat” on February 22, 2014, the Feast of the Chair of Peter and will join the conclave in case of a “sede vacante”.

Here is an interview by DCHerald with Archbishop Quevedo:

1.     Your Grace, what was your reaction upon announcement especially that you are the first Cardinal from Mindanao?

My reaction was one of total shock. On January, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we had dinner at 7:00 PM and went to my room around7:45. I decided to look at my mobile phone and saw many text messages and miscalls. I read the message of Cardinal Chito Tagle congratulating me as a new Cardinal. I responded, saying he must be congratulating to wrong person. He texted back saying, “It’s you.” I decided to read the other meesages. They had the same message. I realized that the Pope had announced the appointment at his noon Angelus message (7:00 PMManila time) when we were having dinner. The first time I learned about the appointment was through Cardinal Chito’s message. Total shock. Neither the Nuncio nor the Vatican had told me about it. Literallyu hundreds of texts came in and my mobile phone got hung up three times. I robotically read all of them, not knowing what to say. It took me some 16 hours to get over the shock and non-reflective mood. I began to reflect on the appointment to prepare to face the media afternoon of January 13.

2. What do you think are your qualifications?

My qualifications? Honestly, I do not think anyone is qualified to receive a call from the Holy Spirit. It might be the Holy Father who appoints, but at bottom the appointment is a gift of God, His grace. And before such an awesome gift, my immediate reaction as well as my reflected response is one of inadequacy and insecurity. The call to be a Cardinal is a call that goes beyond one’s own imagined qualifications. Surely, when consultations take place about a possible Cardinal, they look at human and spiritual qualities, such as integrity, competence, etc. In truth, I would not know what the consultations said about me and I would hesitate to speculate.

3. Can you explain to us the process of electing a Cardinal?

I do not know the process of being elected to be a Cardinal. Perhaps, consultations among the Cardinals and then a short list, and finally a choice.

4. What are your other duties aside from joining the conclave in case of “sede vacante”?

My other duties as a member of the College of Cardinals? I shall learn on the job, What I know is that I shall be appointed as a member of some Vatican Dicasteries — these are the Congregations that work under the Holy Father, such as the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Congregation for Doctrine and Faith, etc.

5. Will this new responsibility not hamper your office being the Archbishop of Cotabato?  What will be your role in the Universal Church?

Such duties will require only occasional meetings in Rome and will not hamper my duties as the Archbishop of Cotabato. In fact, such duties will help me gain a world-wide view of the local church — akin perhaps to “think globally, act locally.” My role in the Universal Church as a Cardinal? — I can give an answer to that after my first meeting with the other Cardinals.

6. Overjoyed upon knowing that a new Cardinal comes from the Archdiocese of Cotabato, some were asking why not a Cardinal from Davao or Zamboanga which many have expected. What can you say about this?

First, why a Mindanao Cardinal? This seems to have been the result of efforts through the years by our Philippine Cardinals, at least from the time of Cardinal Sanchez. Second, why a Cotabato Cardinal? I deliberately abstract from personal considerations, since such remain to me as pure speculations. I limit myself to the social environment. My guess is that the Archdiocese of Cotabato is a microcosm of the Church in Mindanao, where all its challenges and problems are magnified to the nth degree — the challenges of poverty, underdevelopment, inter-religious tensions, armed conflicts. Such economic, cultural, political, and religious challenges respond quiet well to the vision of Pope Francis of reaching out to the poor, reaching out for religious harmony, and peace. Concretely, the Archdiocese of Cotabato will most probably be the center of the Bangsamoro. It is even here now that the main MILF camps are located and where the present Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao is centered. About 47%  of the population of the Archdiocese is Muslim. Maguindanao province is more than 90% Muslim. The Archdiocese has been the area of armed conflict, displacements of hundreds of thousands people due to floods natural and man-made disasters. Maguindanao province ranks among the lowest in economic development. It is here also where the renewal of the Church towards a new way of being Church remains an active process. In a real sense then, the Archdiocese of Cotabato is a microcosm of the Church in Mindanao, with its various political, economic,cultural, and religious challenges and hopes. The Archdiocese is in the margins, in the frontiers. I understand that it is into the margins of the world that Pope Francis wants the whole Church to move. That is my educated guess why Cotabato and not Davao or Zamboanga. This does not mean that Cotabato is permanently a cardinalatial diocese, like Manila and Cebu. For Cotabato, I think the title of Cardinal is attached to the person rather than to the place. Perhaps the next Cardinal in Mindanao could be from the great urban centers such as Cagayan de Oro, Davao, or Zamboanga, or General Santos (Marbel).

7. In all honesty, can you say that your being elected in the College is a recognition of the efforts of the Mindanao Church especially in the aspect of building and sustaining the Basic Ecclesial Communities, Interreligous Dialogue and Peace?   Why?

As I have said above in #6, the appointment of a Philippine Cardinal based in Mindanao is the Pope’s response to many years of advocacy by our Philippine Cardinals. It is also perhaps a sign of the growing maturity of the Church in Mindanao, which despite the missionary efforts of Spanish missionaries is really a Church of migrants, a young Church. The appointment of a Mindanao Cardinal is also perhaps a recognition of the vibrancy of the Church in Mindanao, its efforts to build BECs, to pursue inter-religious dialogue and peace. My view on this is mere speculation. I shall learn more about why a Mindanao Cardinal has been appointed through my interaction with the other Philippine Cardinals.

8. How will your being in the College contribute to the faith and morals of the Mindanaoans as well as the peace process?   And the continuing Interreligious dialogue?

I hesitate to answer this question regarding how my appointment would contribute to the faith and moral situation in Mindanao, to the pursuit of peace and inter-religious dialogue. An answer would delve into who I am and what I can contribute. I think my brother Bishops in Mindanao could better answer that for me. Kindly ask Archbishop Valles. I have read some rather interesting exchanges about me in Mindanews among Muslims and Christians vis-a-vis the challenges you mention.

9. In closing, what is your message to the Philippine Church, particularly Mindanao especially to the Arch/Bishops, the Clergy, the Religious and the Lay Faithful?

My message: To the Church in the Philippines – my gratitude to God for the gift of a third Philippine Cardinal. Let us understand this gift through the eyes of faith. It is a call to active solidarity, a solidarity that impels people of faith in the three major territories — Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao — to act on behalf of the poor and suffering, those in the margins of society, the needy and deprived, the thousands upon thousands of our brothers and sisters now trying to pick up the bits and pieces of their lives after death-dealing earthquakes and floods in the Visayas and armed conflicts in some parts of Mindanao. They really have become the poorest of the poor. And even while external aid is pouring in to help them, our own help to them through material and moral help, our prayers, will lift up their own faith. Even more important than external help is the internal sustaining power of their religious faith in God.

* to all people of good faith in Mindanao, to all the members of the Church — the same expression of gratitude to God. Again through the eyes of faith, the triple goal in Mindanao of peace and dialogue and development cannot be realized unless it begins in the heart. A peace agreement can only last if it is based on peace and harmony in the heart — with God, with one’s “neighbor,” with creation. Let us ensure that the results of the present peace negotiations will truly be fair, just and lasting. Let us make sure that the drafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law will be subject – section by section – to open consultation and scrutiny. The future of Muslims, Christians, Lumad, and members of other religious traditions in the Bangsamoro will be determined by the Bangsamoro Basic Law. Let us ensure that it will be fair and just for everyone. “Let there be peace in Mindanao, but let it begin in our hearts.”

* to myself: “Lord, the Good Shepherd, through the intercession of the Blessed Mother, grant me the grace to be a holy and wise Shepherd, humble and simple, zealous and generous, a shepherd after your own heart. Amen”