Kalookan’s Cardinal David assumes titular church

MANILA, Philippines — Kalookan Bishop Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David has formally taken possession of his titular church in Rome.

The ceremony took place at Parrocchia della Trasfigurazione di Nostro Signore Gesù Cristo (Church of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ) on October 20 (Manila time).

Cardinals are considered honorary members of Rome’s clergy and are each assigned a titular church, symbolically linking them to the Diocese of Rome.

David succeeded Colombian Cardinal Pedro Rubiano Sáenz, becoming only the second cardinal to hold the title for the Church of the Transfiguration.

Located in Rome’s Monteverde Nuovo district, the church was established as a parish in 1936 and designated as a titular church by St. John Paul II in 2001, when Sáenz was appointed as its first titular cardinal, according to CBCP News.

Call for prayers amid Philippine corruption crisis

In his homily, Cardinal David asked the faithful in Rome to pray for the Philippines, expressing concern over growing public outrage against corruption back home.

“I left my country with a heavy heart. In these days, the people’s anger over government corruption is growing,” David said.
“So I ask you: please pray for us, that we may find peace in truth and justice, not in blood,” he added.

David, known for his outspoken stance against the drug war of former president Rodrigo Duterte, was elevated to the College of Cardinals by the late Pope Francis on October 6, 2024.

He was among the Church leaders who joined the Trillion Peso March anti-corruption rally on September 21, standing alongside other clergy and lay groups calling for government accountability. — with reports from CBCP News