“Like Moses and the prophet Jeremiah, I am not a good speaker. Despite their shortcomings, however, God had empowered them to speak on His behalf and show forth His saving power,” said the cardinal.
He earlier admitted that he could not be as vocal on issues as his late mentor, Cardinal Jaime Sin of Manila who was his teacher in the seminary.
Cardinal Sin was one of the key figures during the 1986 “People Power” revolution that ended the almost-two-decade rule of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos.
From the peripheries
Cardinal Advincula was born on March 30, 1952, in the town of Dumalag, Capiz province, to Jose Firmalino Advincula and Carmen Falsis Fuerte.
He studied at Saint Pius X Seminary High School in Roxas City, and stayed on after graduating to study philosophy. He then attended theology courses at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.
He later pursued a Master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling at the De La Salle University, and then studied canon law at the University of Santo Tomás and at the Angelicum in Rome, where he earned a licentiate in canon law.
Advincula was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Cápiz on April 14, 1976. He worked as spiritual director of the St. Pius X Seminary in Cápiz while also serving as professor and dean of studies.
After finishing his studies abroad, he returned to the Philippines and worked at the seminary of Nueva Segovia in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, and in the regional seminary of Jaro.
In 1995, he became rector of the St. Pius X Seminary of Cápiz while also holding positions in the administration of the archdiocese as defender of the bond, promoter of justice, and judicial vicar.
In 1999, he was assigned as parish priest of Santo Tomás de Villanueva Parish in Dao, Capiz.
Saint Pope John Paul II appointed Advincula bishop of San Carlos on July 25, 2001. He received his episcopal consecration on Sept. 8, 2001.
On Nov. 9, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI named him archbishop of Cápiz.
He has been a member of the Commission for the Doctrine of the Faith and Commission for Indigenous Peoples in the Philippine bishops’ conference.
Pope Francis elevated him to cardinal on Nov. 28, 2020, assigning him as a cardinal priest to San Vigilio in Via Paolo Di Dono.
Cardinal Advincula was not able to attend the consistory because of health restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Dec. 16, 2020, he was named a member of the Congregation for the Clergy in the Vatican.
In lieu of the November 2020 consistory, Cardinal Advincula received his “red hat” and ring from Archbishop Charles Brown, apostolic nuncio to the Philippines, on June 18, 2021, at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Roxas City in the central Philippines.
Jose Torres, Jr., is editor-at-large of the Catholic Asian news site LiCAS.news. He is also editorial consultant of Radio Veritas Asia. He finished his Multimedia Journalism studies at the Konrad Adenauer Asian Center for Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University.