Preparations underway for new Manila archbishop

The workers at the Manila Cathedral, the seat of the Archdiocese of Manila, are abuzz with preparations for Cardinal Jose Advincula, the newly appointed archbishop of Manila.

In social media posts, the marble chair of the archbishop near the altar is being refurbished.

The marble covering of the chair was removed on Friday and the workers saw that the original marble from Italy that was installed in 1958 is intact.

It bears the coat of arms of then Archbishop Rufino J. Santos and is made from inlaid marble and precious stones.

The new archbishop would have his own coat of arms and motto that will be revealed during his installation.

Meanwhile, Cardinal Advincula has asked for prayers as he begins his new pastoral journey.

Cardinal Jose Advincula, the newly appointed archbishop of Manila, asked the faithful to accompany him with prayers as he takes his new mission.

Before his appointment, Advincula was the archbishop of the Diocese of Capiz in the Visayas.

In a post on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website, the archbishop said he views his assignment as a “blessing from God through the pope."

“I take this blessing not only for myself but also for the faithful of the Archdiocese of Capiz and of course for the entire Philippines,” the prelate said.

“I am asking the faithful and the religious of Capiz to pray for me as I also pray for everybody,” he added.

Advincula was appointed by Pope Francis on Thursday as the 33rd Manila achbishop replacing  Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who now serves as Prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in February last year.

Advincula's appointment to the rank of cardinal and 11 other cardinals in November 2020 was unique as it was done amid the COVID-19 pandemic and special arrangements for the rituals had to be made.

The Capiz-based prelate was unable to attend the ceremony at the Vatican due to travel restrictions and had to make do with attending the consistory via livestreaming.

The Apostolic Nuncio, the representative of Pope Francis in the country, was scheduled to bestow the "red hat" and cardinal's ring upon Advincula in May.

There are no changes to the schedule of Archbishop Charles John Brown, according to the spokesperson of the Archdiocese of Manila Fr. Emilio Arbatin.

Canon law, according to the CBCP post, states that a bishop must proceed to the diocese to which he has been transferred and take canonical possession of it within two months.

Arbatin said no date has been set yet for the installation of Advincula, who is expected to be in Manila by June.

For now, with regards to the Eucharistic Prayer, the name of Bishop Broderick Pabillo as Apostolic Administrator will continue to be mentioned in the Eucharistic Prayer of Masses celebrated in the Archdiocese of Manila. -- BAP/KG, GMA News