Vidal made the admission in a letter addressed to the participants of the 3rd Archdiocesan Youth Congress last Nov. 19 but which was published only last Dec. 5 in the archdiocesan newsletter Ang Lungsoranon.
Vidal, 73, wrote the letter to excuse himself from the youth congress which he was supposed to attend but failed due to health reasons.
In a way, the letter revealed what had long been the subject of deferential speculation — the true nature of his ailment.
Vidal has been known to time and again seek medical attention but the matter was never formally brought out into the open.
Recently, the speculations grew when, for the first time, Vidal begged off from his usual yearly practice of officiating dawn Masses leading up to Christmas in different places all over Cebu.
Vidal, a native of Catanduanes, has been the archbishop of Cebu for nearly three decades.
In his letter to the youth congress, Vidal said, "I had wanted to be with you today but my heart would not allow me. I wish I had a heart like yours, young and restless, full of vigor and bursting with hope.
"But my heart is old, and it no longer beats as fast as it should, it does not beat as regularly as it should, so I need a pacemaker, a device that is like a prompter — it reminds my heart to beat faster when it is slowing down, and to slow down when it is too fast.
"A pacemaker is like a DI, you know, a dance instructor. It teaches my heart to beat at a proper pace, just as a DI teaches an old lady how to dance the reggae."
What made the letter disturbing, however, was how the cardinal chose to word the final paragraph, which made it sound portentous.
"You are next in line, my dear young people, and although my heart is weak, I look with confidence to the future, because your hearts are strong and you will pick up the beat to continue the rhythm of life," Vidal ended his letter.
A nun at Our Lady of Evangelization in Pooc, Talisay City said Vidal paid them a brief visit last week and told them about his ailing heart.
Quoting Vidal, the nun, who asked not to be identified, said, "He said his heart only beats 20 times per minute, which is why he needs a pacemaker to normalize its beating."
Msgr. Chris Garcia, who heads the archdiocesan commission on worship, said Vidal "is well but was advised not to do strenuous activities."
He said this is precisely why for the first time, the archbishop canceled his personal celebrations of out-of-town dawn Masses or misa de gallo.
"Doctor’s orders. You know we have to follow (these) orders no matter what. But he is perfectly well," he said.
A cardiologist consulted by The Freeman said the cardinal’s 20 heartbeats per minute are far from being normal, which is from 60 to 80 beats per minute. The heart expert said even 100 beats per minute are sometimes acceptable.
The cardiologist said it is good the cardinal now has a pacemaker because it serves to correct "a dangerously slow heartbeat."
Without treatment, the cardiologist said a slow heartbeat can lead to weakness, confusion, dizziness, fainting, shortness of breath or far worse circumstances.
Slow heartbeats can be the result of metabolic abnormalities or occur as a result of blocked arteries. If treated early and well, a normal heartbeat can be reacquired and resume.
Pacemakers are implanted in the body and most people who have them get to resume their previous lifestyle with little or no limitations, the cardiologist said. — Freeman News Service