Bishop Ambo Made Cardinal

Martin Sam Dollete

VATICAN CITY, Vatican City —Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio 'Ambo' David was elevated by Pope Francis at the Vatican consistory on December 7, 2024, around 11:40 P.M. (Philippine time).

Cardinal Ambo David had been a priest for over 4 decades and a bishop for 18 years. The newly chosen cardinal was a biblical scholar and a widely-known critic of the Duterte administration’s bloody drug war. 

Cardinal David now joins the high-ranking Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle as well as Cardinal Jose Fuerte Advincula, the current Manila Archbishop. He is the 3rd Filipino cardinal with a vote in the conclave and the 10th cardinal from the Philippines.