[Pope Watch] Chito and Ambo: From schoolmates to cardinals in a conclave

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Luis Antonio Tagle and Pablo Virgilio David, two of the three Filipino cardinals in the conclave, share common roots in a Jesuit-run seminary

MANILA, Philippines – Much has been said about Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle and Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David following in the footsteps of Pope Francis, through the way they keep themselves close to people as “shepherds with the smell of the sheep.”

If there is one other thing, however, that makes them comparable to the late pontiff, it is their Jesuit training.

It is also an important piece of context as cardinal electors discern the successor of the first Jesuit pope. 

Both Tagle (whose nickname is Chito) and David (whose nickname is Ambo) studied for the priesthood at the Jesuit-run San Jose Seminary based in Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City.

(Four out of five living Filipino cardinals, in fact, hailed from San Jose: Gaudencio Rosales and Orlando Quevedo, apart from Tagle and David. It is a fact not lost on Josefinos, although their superiors have advised seminarians to stay humble; careerism, after all, is not a priestly virtue.)

At San Jose, seminarians receive training akin to their Jesuit counterparts, but the goal is to train them for service in their own dioceses (as opposed to Jesuits who form part of a religious order and are sent on mission where there is greater need).

Tagle of Imus, Cavite, and David of Guagua, Pampanga, attended the same seminary — and studied in the same Jesuit-run school, Ateneo de Manila University — in the late 1970s.

Tagle, who finished his bachelor’s degree in pre-divinity in 1977, was one year ahead of David, who graduated from the same course in 1978.

Luis Antonio Tagle in Ateneo de Manila University’s 1977 college yearbook.

Tagle graduated summa cum laude along with two others in 1977. The two other summa cum laude graduates that year were Raul Montemayor, who was the class valedictorian, and N. Adlai de Pano. 

A year later, David graduated cum laude along with 21 others.

During Tagle’s despedida in January 2020, David remembered how he and his philosophy classmates would look forward to review classes that Tagle facilitated. “He could simplify complicated thoughts,” David said of the cardinal from Cavite.

“That was the rare gift of Cardinal Chito,” said David. “His brightness seemed to brighten other people.”

It was, in a way, a reflection of Tagle’s preaching style later in life. To this day, he is one of the few priests who can communicate with specialized audiences, such as theologians, using technical terms, and later relay a similar message to ordinary Catholics in a simplified manner.

He has the rare ability to adjust the structure of his speeches, his explanations, and anecdotes — even his jokes — depending on the audience. 

Ateneo de Manila University graduates in 1977 include Luis Antonio Tagle, summa cum laude.

As for David, his Ateneo yearbook write-up in 1978 provides a peek into his character. (Tagle, and in fact his whole college batch, had no yearbook write-ups.)

His Ateneo yearbook write-up reads: “‘A man isn’t always judged by how rich he is or how talented he is, but rather by how his richness enriches other people and how much his talents make other people talented.’ Ambo is just like that because he is able to forget himself and reach out to people. Mind you, Ambo is gifted with brains and a heart.”

His brains, according to the write-up, “never go without being noticed for clarity, system, and comprehensiveness.” But it becomes all the more noticeable because it is coupled with a heart that does not only feel but actually reaches out,” it said. 

It is a description seen in David now, as bishop of Kalookan, as a known human rights defender who sheltered victims of the Duterte drug war.

Pablo Virgilio David in Ateneo de Manila University’s 1978 college yearbook.

It is this context, dating back to their college years, Tagle and David bring with them as they participate in the conclave at the Sistine Chapel beginning Wednesday, May 7.

Based on their educational background, they ought to be men who, in the words of the late Jesuit general Father Pedro Arrupe, are “completely convinced that love of God which does not issue in justice for others is a farce.”

Their Jesuit training makes them even more like Francis, heirs to a tradition of intellectual rigor directed at helping the poor. For those who consider them papabili (plural for papabile) or papal contenders, a Jesuit background like Francis’ can either be an asset or a liability, as the conclave shapes up as a contest between continuity and change.

How will this background play out as cardinals cast their sacred ballots?

From the halls of Ateneo, Chito and Ambo are now set to enter the Sistine Chapel, facing one of their biggest tests. – Rappler.com