ROME, Italy – Cardinal Pablo Virgilio “Ambo” David’s journey to becoming a member of the College of Cardinals was anything but expected. It unfolded with surprise, humility, and what he warmly calls “divine humor” — a lesson he learned directly from Pope Francis himself.
The bishop of Kalookan and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) vividly recalls the moment the news broke. “I confronted him [Pope Francis], and said, ‘Holy Father, you didn’t even give me a heads-up. I was so shocked!’” Cardinal David shared.
The pope’s response? “Please don’t take it too seriously, okay? Take it with a grain of divine humor.”
The humor didn’t stop there. Pope Francis even struggled to say the name of his diocese. “He asked, ‘Is it Ca-loo-can?’ I told him, ‘Ka-lu-o-kan,’” Cardinal David laughed.
That brief, human encounter changed everything for him. “It’s not about you. You’re invited to be part of God’s grand project. Stop asking, ‘Why me?’ Because God might just say, ‘Why not you?’”
Cardinal David paints a poignant picture of Pope Francis’ humility and wit. “Imagine — when he became pope, he never returned to Argentina. Being the Holy Father means caring for the Universal Church. It’s like a death sentence! No sane man aspires to that role.”
He recalls the pope’s amusing humility further. “When elected, he went back to Casa Santa Marta and still paid for his own board and lodging.”
But beyond the laughter, Pope Francis stood as a pillar of comfort during Cardinal David’s darkest hours. “He offered to pray over me when I faced a crisis during the drug war in Kalookan. When he heard about the death threats, he asked, ‘May I give you a blessing?’ That touched me deeply. I’ve never forgotten it.”
The pope’s death struck Cardinal David deeply. “When Pope Francis died, I felt like I lost a father again. I lost my dad when I was still in seminary — before I was even a priest — back in 1980. It was very painful.”
Now, Cardinal David joins over 130 cardinals in the Vatican, preparing for the upcoming conclave to elect a new pope. “I feel a moral obligation to get to know all my fellow cardinals,” he says. “You do your homework. Nobody tells us to, of course.”
At these pre-conclave gatherings, cardinals engage in open discussions about the Church’s path forward. “The College of Cardinals meets, discusses, shares stories. We talk about topics that matter and listen to each other’s views. It’s a chance to understand where the Church should head,” he explains.
Recently, around 20 interventions at the fifth general congregation tackled pressing concerns: the Church’s relationship with today’s world, evangelization, interfaith dialogue, addressing abuse within the Church, and the essential qualities the next pope must have to face these challenges.
When the conclave officially begins, all communication stops. “Wala nang communication kasi retreat na siya,” Cardinal David says simply. In those silent, sacred moments, the next chapter for the Catholic Church will be written.