Papal race: Cardinal David emerges as ‘dark horse’

His Eminence, Pablo Virgilio S. Cardinal David, D.D., Bishop of Kalookan —Photo from Roman Catholic Bishop of Kalookan (Diocese of Kalookan)

MANILA, Philippines — International media have reported not just one but two Filipinos as among the “papabile” or cardinals likely to be elected to succeed Pope Francis during the conclave that will start on May 7.

The other contender, aside from Cardinal Luis Tagle who is called the “Asian Francis,” is Cardinal Pablo Virgilio “Ambo” David, who is viewed as a “dark horse.”

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David is a good candidate for the papacy. This was what Bishop Accountability, Father Shay Cullen, an Irish missionary widely respected for his human rights work, said during a press briefing that he organized in Rome.

“I support Cardinal Pablo ‘Ambo’ David, a human rights defender who stood up to the killings during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s regime. He denounced the abuses and insisted that crimes committed by clergy be judged in civil courts. He is a person of integrity, and it would be very positive if Cardinal David were elected pope, representing the Philippines,” Cullen said through a video conference call.

“It’s time for a Filipino pope who defends human rights and protects children,” he added. Cullen was one of three priests arrested on Sept. 23, 1972, upon the declaration of martial law in the Philippines.

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According to a report by Argentina-based conservative newspaper La Nacion, David was also being scrutinized during the General Congregations, the meetings of all the members of the College of Cardinals in preparation for the conclave.

“According to analysts, he could become a compromise candidate after initial rounds of voting reveal that the top two favorites lack the necessary consensus to reach the required 89 votes,” it said.

David, the Kalookan bishop and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in his last consistory in December.

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‘Bolder, less reserved’

The 66-year-old David was described by the report as “similar to Tagle, charismatic —but reportedly bolder and less reserved. He also participated in the Synod on Synodality, where at least 60 cardinals got to know him.”

For Fides Lim, spokesperson of political prisoners group Kapatid, Cullen’s endorsement of David “sharpened” the choices among the front-runners of the papacy.

“Cardinal Ambo may just be the dark horse the universal Church needs now more than ever. After all, he’s cut from the same cloth as Pope Francis: humble, grounded, compassionate, merciful yet unafraid,” she told the Inquirer.