3 Filipino cardinals hold special Mass in Rome

Three Filipino cardinals concelebrated a Mass for the Filipino community in Rome, Italy, on Sunday.

Cardinals Luis Antonio Tagle, Jose Advincula, archbishop of Manila, and Pablo Virgilio David, bishop of Kalookan, concelebrated the Mass at the chapel of the Pontificio Collegio Filippino, the residence of Filipino clerics studying in Rome’s pontifical universities.

The Mass, led by Bishop Ruperto Santos of Antipolo, was held to mark Collegio Day 2025 in honor of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, the patroness of the college and migrants.

Santos, a former rector of the college, is the chairperson of the Episcopal Commission on the Pontificio Collegio Filippino of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

The Mass was also concelebrated by Archbishop Victor Bendico, who succeeded Advincula in the Archdiocese of Capiz, and Fr. Gregory Gaston, rector of the Collegio.

Tagle, Advincula and David were also set to concelebrate the ninth and last of the “Novemdiales” Masses in suffrage for the late Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Basilica.

The three Filipino cardinals will serve as cardinal-electors in the conclave that will pick the next pope that begins on 7 May.

Tagle and Italy’s Pietro Parolin, who served as secretary of state under Pope Francis, and Ghana’s Peter Turkson are among the favorites to be the next leader of the Catholic Church.

A total of 135 cardinals will gather to elect a successor to Francis who died of a stroke and heart failure on 21 April at the age of 88.

The late Argentinian pontiff led the Church of 1.4 billion members for 12 years and appointed 80 percent of the cardinal electors, including Advincula and David.

Held behind closed doors, the conclave will signal the outcome to the world by burning the ballots in a special stove. Black smoke will rise if no pope is elected, while white smoke will indicate a new pope has been selected.