Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan revealed that he now wears a cross inspired by Saint Oscar Romero, the patron of those who work for justice and peace.
The wooden cross, along with “a piece of bloodied cloth” from the El Salvadoran martyr, was given to the cardinal by a friend, whom he did not identify.
David said he would wear the cross “most of the time,” particularly when donning his red robe.
Archbishop Romero, who was shot dead while saying Mass on March 24, 1980, became a symbol of resistance against oppression in El Salvador, where the wealthy elite, with military support, oppressed the poor.
Thousands were imprisoned, tortured, murdered, or disappeared. Romero denounced the violence in his Sunday sermons and became known as the voice of the voiceless.
In 2015, Pope Francis declared Romero a martyr for the faith, and he was beatified in El Salvador that May. He was canonized as a saint in 2018.
A staunch critic of extrajudicial killings of suspected drug users and dealers, David explained that the cross symbolizes his commitment to social justice and human rights.
The cross was made, drawn, and hand-painted in El Salvador by partners of the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD), the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.
In El Salvador, a tradition exists of producing colorful crucifixes. The bright decorations feature a figure of Jesus at the center, surrounded by images of the local community set within a Salvadoran landscape.
Created to mark the 30th anniversary of Romero’s death in 2014, the cross has become known in England and Wales as the “Romero Cross.”
On the back of the cross is a quote from the martyr: “As a Christian, I do not believe in death without resurrection. If I am killed, I shall rise again in the Salvadoran people.”
David celebrated his first Mass in the Philippines as cardinal on Saturday. He arrived in the country Friday evening after attending a historic consistory at the Vatican, where he and 20 others were elevated to the rank of cardinal on Dec. 7.
In his homily at the packed San Roque Cathedral, he stressed that the Church’s mission is not about promoting religion but about bringing the kingdom of God to life.
“The kingdom of God is not something we build ourselves. It is too arrogant of us to even think it’s our project,” Cardinal David said. “It is God’s project, and we are mere participants in it.”
He underscored the importance of discipleship, noting that participating in God’s divine plan through Jesus Christ is what the call to discipleship is all about.
“The moment we delude ourselves into thinking it is our project, we will find out that our resources will never be enough,” David warned.
He also pointed out the humility at the heart of the Church’s mission, urging the faithful not to focus on him but on Jesus.
“We’re all really unimportant here, just participants in the life and mission of our Savior,” he said.
