List of Filipino cardinals
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The Philippines has produced ten cardinals.
The population of Catholics in the Philippines constitutes the country's largest religious denomination, as well as one of the largest Catholic populations among countries of the world. The Catholic faith was introduced to the Philippines by Spanish colonists in the sixteenth century. Some 400 years later, in 1960, Rufino J. Santos, the Archbishop of Manila, became the first Filipino cardinal. Since then, a total of ten Filipinos have been raised to the rank of cardinal.
On May 1, 2020, Luis Antonio G. Tagle, Pro-Prefect for the Section of First Evangelization of the Dicastery for Evangelization, was promoted to the rank of cardinal-bishop. He is the first Filipino to hold the highest rank of a cardinal in the Catholic Church.[1]
On October 6, 2024, Pope Francis named Pablo Virgilio David, Bishop of Kalookan, as the tenth Filipino Cardinal. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals in a consistory on December 8, 2024. He is the first Filipino cardinal who is not a metropolitan archbishop at the time of the announcement.
There are currently five living Filipino Cardinals, three of whom are electors: Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization; Jose Advincula, current Archbishop of Manila; and Pablo Virgilio David, current Bishop of Kalookan. They participated in the 2025 papal conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV, marking the first time in history that three Filipino cardinal-electors participated in a papal conclave.[2] There are two other living Cardinals over the age of 80: Gaudencio Rosales, Archbishop-Emeritus of Manila; and Orlando Quevedo, Archbishop-Emeritus of Cotabato.
List of Filipino cardinals
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List by age
| No. | Cardinal | Date of Birth | Date of Death | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gaudencio Borbon Rosales | August 10, 1932 Batangas City |
94 years, 22 days | |
| 2 | José Tomás Sánchez | March 17, 1920 Pandan, Catanduanes | March 9, 2012 Manila |
91 years, 359 days |
| 3 | Orlando Beltran Quevedo | March 11, 1939 Laoag City |
87 years, 174 days | |
| 4 | Ricardo Jamin Vidal | February 6, 1931 Mogpog, Marinduque | October 18, 2017 Cebu |
86 years, 254 days |
| 5 | Jaime Lachica Sin | August 31, 1928 New Washington, Aklan | June 21, 2005 San Juan City |
76 years, 294 days |
| 6 | Julio Rosales y Ras | September 18, 1906 Calbayog, Samar | June 2, 1983 Cebu |
76 years, 257 days |
| 7 | Jose Fuerte Advincula | March 30, 1952 Dumalag, Capiz |
74 years, 155 days | |
| 8 | Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle | June 21, 1957 Imus, Cavite |
69 years, 72 days | |
| 9 | Pablo Virgilio Siongco David | March 2, 1959 Betis, Guagua, Pampanga |
67 years, 183 days | |
| 10 | Rufino Jiao Santos | August 26, 1908 Guagua, Pampanga |
September 3, 1973 Manila |
65 years, 8 days |
Timeline of living cardinals
| From | To | Number of living cardinals | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | Total | Change | ||
| March 28, 1960 (Rufino J. Santos elevated to cardinal) |
April 28, 1969 (Julio Rosales elevated to cardinal) |
1 cardinal (Cardinal Santos) |
1 |  1 |
| April 28, 1969 (Julio Rosales elevated to Cardinal) |
September 3, 1973 (Death of Cardinal Santos) |
2 cardinals (Cardinal Santos & Cardinal J. Rosales) |
2 | 1 |
| September 3, 1973 (Death of Cardinal Santos) |
May 24, 1976 (Jaime Sin elevated to Cardinal) |
1 cardinal (Cardinal J. Rosales) |
1 |  1 |
| May 24, 1976 (Jaime Sin elevated to Cardinal) |
June 2, 1983 (Death of Cardinal J. Rosales) |
2 cardinals (Cardinal J. Rosales & Cardinal Sin) |
2 | 1 |
| June 2, 1983 (Death of Cardinal J. Rosales) |
May 25, 1985 (Ricardo Vidal elevated to Cardinal) |
1 cardinal (Cardinal Sin) |
1 | 1 |
| May 25, 1985 (Ricardo Vidal elevated to Cardinal) |
June 28, 1991 (Jose Sanchez elevated to Cardinal) |
2 cardinals (Cardinal Sin & Cardinal Vidal) |
2 | 1 |
| June 28, 1991 (Jose Tomas Sanchez elevated to Cardinal) |
June 21, 2005 (Death of Cardinal Sin) |
3 cardinals (Cardinals Sin, Vidal & Sanchez) |
3 | 1 |
| June 21, 2005 (Death of Cardinal Sin) |
March 24, 2006 (Gaudencio Rosales elevated to Cardinal) |
2 cardinals (Cardinals Vidal & Sanchez) |
2 | 1 |
| March 24, 2006 (Gaudencio Rosales elevated to Cardinal) |
March 9, 2012 (Death of Cardinal Sanchez) |
3 cardinals (Cardinals Vidal, Sanchez & G. Rosales) |
3 | 1 |
| March 9, 2012 (Death of Cardinal Sanchez) |
November 24, 2012 (Luis Antonio Tagle elevated to Cardinal) |
2 cardinals (Cardinals Vidal & G. Rosales) |
2 | 1 |
| November 24, 2012 (Luis Antonio Tagle elevated to Cardinal) |
February 22, 2014 (Orlando Quevedo elevated to Cardinal) |
3 cardinals (Cardinals Vidal, G. Rosales & Tagle) |
3 | 1 |
| February 22, 2014 (Orlando Quevedo elevated to Cardinal) |
October 18, 2017 (Death of Cardinal Vidal) |
4 cardinals (Cardinals Vidal, G. Rosales, Tagle & Quevedo) |
4 | 1 |
| October 18, 2017 (Death of Cardinal Vidal) |
November 28, 2020 (Jose Advincula elevated to Cardinal) |
3 cardinals (Cardinals G. Rosales, Tagle & Quevedo) |
3 | 1 |
| November 28, 2020 (Jose Advincula elevated to Cardinal) |
December 7, 2024 (Pablo Virgilio David elevated to Cardinal) | 4 cardinals (Cardinals G. Rosales, Tagle, Quevedo & Advincula) |
4 | 1 |
| December 7, 2024 (Pablo Virgilio David elevated to Cardinal) | Present | 5 cardinals (Cardinals G. Rosales, Tagle, Quevedo, Advincula, David) | 5 | 1 |
Participation of Filipino Cardinals per Conclave
As of May 2025, seven out of ten Filipino Cardinals have participated in a conclave to elect a Pope.
| Conclave | Previous Pope | Elected Pope | Participating Cardinals | Number of Cardinals | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 conclave | John XXIII | Paul VI | Rufino Santos | 1 | [24] |
| August 1978 conclave | Paul VI | John Paul I | Julio Rosales | 2 | [25] |
| October 1978 conclave | John Paul I | John Paul II | Julio Rosales | 2 | [26] |
| 2005 conclave[b] | John Paul II | Benedict XVI | Ricardo Vidal[c] | 1 | [27] |
| 2013 conclave | Benedict XVI | Francis | Luis Antonio Tagle | 1 | [28] |
| 2025 conclave | Francis | Leo XIV | Luis Antonio Tagle | 3 | [29] |
Three Filipino Cardinals never participated in a conclave, as they were 80 years old before an eventual sede vacante.
- Jose Tomas Sanchez, who was made cardinal in 1991, turned 80 on March 17, 2000, preventing him from participating in the 2005 conclave.[27] He died in 2012.
- Gaudencio Rosales, who was made cardinal in 2006, turned 80 on August 10, 2012, six months before the Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, preventing him from participating in the conclaves 2013 and 2025.[30]
- Orlando Quevedo, who was made cardinal in 2014, turned 80 on March 11, 2019, preventing him from participating in the 2025 conclave.[30]
See also
Notes
- Did not participate in any conclave during his cardinalate
- Jaime Sin was eligible to be a cardinal-elector in the 2005 conclave, but did not participate due to health reasons. He died on June 21, 2005, two months after the conclave.
- Vidal turned 80 on February 6, 2011, making him ineligible to participate in the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis.