Cardinal Vidal conferred honorary doctorate degree

MANILA, Philippines - The country’s most senior prelate, Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, was conferred the degree of Doctor of Humanities Honoris Causa by Cebu’s University of the Visayas (UV) during commencement rites recently.

The honorary degree was conferred upon the Cardinal for being the epitome of goodness and an inspiration to Cebuanos, according to UV officials led by president Eduardo Gullas and executive vice president Jose Gullas. 

The conferment delighted the Cardinal, who had been an educator for 16 years as he taught languages – Latin, English, Spanish and Filipino – as well as music in the seminary.

Such conferment brought about many fond memories that the Cardinal has had of the university due to his closeness to the late matriarch of the Gullas family.

“My earliest memory of the University of the Visayas was not anything that pertained to the academe. It was more down-to-earth, pertaining to a basic human need. It was my first fiesta celebration in the cathedral. People from everywhere came to partake of the feast that was being served at the convent… The next day, I sat down for breakfast only to realize we had no more china and silver left. At Mass, I announced to the congregation that we had no more tableware in the convent,” he recalled.

“Before that day ended, boxes of plates, spoons and forks arrived, courtesy of (Josefina) Inday Pining Rivera Gullas. I learned that day that I could always count on a good neighbor who never hesitated to lend a hand: Inday Pining. (She’s the) model and inspiration of the University of the Visayas. If the University of the Visayas continues to uphold the values of compassion, of sensitivity to the needs of the poor, I believe it is because the spirit of Inday Pining continues to live on in these halls,” he added.

The Cardinal particularly lauded the university’s “sensitivity to the needs of the poor” as it responded to calls for no tuition hikes amid the global economic crisis by no less than reducing its tuition by 10 percent.

He also noted its commitment to excellence by making education accessible, as exemplified by its UV Chorale. The choir, made up of about 30 full scholars, has won awards internationally and was the only official Filipino performing group at the World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia last year. 

“I am proud to be an alumnus of UV, even only in an honorary sense,” the Cardinal said.

He also urged the thousands of graduates to give equal value to reason and faith. “It is these twin faculties that will make you soar toward the truth. Actually, my fear for young people these days is not that they will reject either faith or reason to highlight only one or the other. The greater harm is when you choose neither faith nor reason, but the appetites. If that is what you do, our destiny as a nation is indeed going to the dogs...,” he said.

“Faith and reason must always go together, that science must be guided by faith in order to truly serve humanity; that faith, too, must be clarified by science so it may check its extremist and radical tendencies,” he added.

Cardinal Vidal, who was born in Mogpog, Marinduque 78 years ago, has served the Cebu Archdiocese for 27 years now and remains as one of the most influential Church leaders in the country today.