Pope Francis backed him when he took on a president. Now he's voting in the conclave

"Not adjacent successful my wildest imaginativeness did I deliberation this would happen," said Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, describing the time helium recovered retired that helium had been appointed a cardinal.

He was speaking to the BBC astatine his cathedral successful Caloocan, connected the outskirts of the Philippine superior Manila. He was leaving the adjacent time for Rome to articulation the conclave, 1 of 3 cardinals from the state who volition instrumentality portion successful choosing the adjacent pope.

"Normally you would expect archbishops to go cardinals, but I americium lone a humble bishop of a small diocese wherever the bulk of the radical are slum dwellers, municipality poor, you know.

"But I thought conscionable maybe, for Pope Francis, it mattered that we had much cardinals who are truly grounded there."

Cardinal David has lone been successful the occupation for 5 months, aft his astonishment elevation past December. But successful immoderate ways helium personifies the precocious pontiff's bequest successful his country.

Pope Francis had acceptable himself the extremity of bringing a Catholic religion helium believed had mislaid its communal touch, backmost person to the people.

"Apu Ambo", arsenic Cardinal David is affectionately called by his congregation, fits that ngo well, having spent his beingness campaigning for the mediocre and marginalised.

The Philippines has the largest Roman Catholic colonisation successful Asia, astir 80% of its 100 cardinal people, and the third-largest successful the world.

It's 1 crushed wherefore Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is believed to beryllium a papabile, oregon frontrunner to regenerate Pope Francis – Tagle was besides talked of arsenic a contender successful the past papal conclave 12 years ago.

The state is considered a agleam spot for the Roman Catholic church, wherever religion is strong, its rituals woven into the cloth of society.

Yet the religion is facing headwinds there. Its doctrines connected divorcement and household readying are being challenged by politicians, and newer charismatic churches are winning converts.

Pope Francis helped reconstruct morale successful the Philippines church, though helium did not connection answers to these challenges beyond being much welcoming of diverseness and urging the clergy to beryllium much responsive to the needs of the poor.

But those connected the activistic helping of the religion did consciousness encouraged by his support.

For Cardinal David that enactment was captious erstwhile helium faced his top test, during the warfare connected drugs declared by erstwhile President Rodrigo Duterte successful 2016.

He took maine to spot a plaque helium had erected successful beforehand of his cathedral successful representation of Kian Delos Santos, a 17 year-old lad from his diocese who was gunned down by constabulary successful August 2017.

Kian was conscionable 1 of galore thousands who died successful Duterte's run – estimates scope from 6,300 to 30,000. What made his lawsuit antithetic from astir was that the accustomed constabulary justification, that helium was equipped and had resisted arrest, was contradicted by eyewitnesses and information camera videos.

The constabulary officers had murdered him arsenic helium pleaded for his life. Three officers were yet convicted of the murder, a uncommon lawsuit of accountability successful the cause war.

The cardinal is inactive visibly affected by the hundreds of killings that happened successful his diocese – a clump of low-income neighbourhoods emblematic of the areas targeted by the constabulary successful their notorious tokhang, oregon "knock and plead" raids, against alleged cause dealers and users.

"It was conscionable excessively overmuch seeing dormant bodies near and right," Cardinal David says.

"And you know, erstwhile I would inquire radical what they thought, you know, wherefore these radical were targeted. They said they're cause users. I said, truthful what? So what? Who told you that conscionable due to the fact that radical usage drugs, they merit to die?"

He began offering sanctuary to those who feared they were connected constabulary deed lists, and past drug-rehabilitation programmes, successful the anticipation this mightiness support them.

He besides did thing the religion arsenic a full did not bash for respective months: helium openly criticised the cause warfare arsenic amerciable and immoral.

As a result, helium received galore decease threats. President Duterte accused him of taking drugs, and talked astir decapitating him. The authorities besides filed sedition charges against him, though these were yet dropped.

In those hard years Cardinal David recovered helium had a almighty backer, successful Rome.

On a sojourn to the metropolis successful 2019 Pope Francis had taken him speech to springiness him a peculiar blessing, saying helium knew what was happening successful his diocese and urging him to enactment safe.

When they met again successful 2023, and helium reminded the Pope that helium was inactive alive, helium says the pontiff laughed and told him: "You person not been called to martyrdom yet!"

The relation of the Roman Catholic religion successful the Philippines has changed implicit its 500-year past successful the archipelago.

It was intimately associated with the Spanish conquest, Spanish friars acting arsenic de facto assemblage administrators and the religion becoming a large landowner. When the US replaced Spain arsenic the assemblage ruler successful 1898, enforcing a separation of religion and state, the governmental power of the Catholic clergy waned.

But the religion retained the allegiance of astir of the population; adjacent today, aft inroads made by charismatic protestant churches, astir 80% of Filipinos place arsenic Roman Catholic.

Since independency successful 1946 the religion has had an uneasy narration with power. Its heavy roots and constitution presumption person made it an influential player, wooed by governmental factions but besides needing their enactment to support its interests.

Attitudes began changing successful the 1970s and 80s, the clip erstwhile a young Pablo David and galore different elder religion figures contiguous were studying to participate the priesthood.

This was the epoch of "liberation theology", which came retired of Latin America and argued that it was the work of the clergy to combat against the pervasive poorness and injustice each astir them.

When then-President Marcos, begetter of the existent president of the Philippines, declared martial instrumentality successful 1972 and began jailing and sidesplitting his critics, immoderate priests adjacent went underground to articulation the equipped resistance.

But the religion hierarchy continued what it called "critical collaboration" with the Marcos dictatorship.

That changed dramatically successful February 1986, erstwhile the then-Archbishop of Manila, Cardinal Jaime Sin, called connected radical to travel retired connected the streets and reason Marcos, sparking the celebrated "people power" uprising which deposed the president.

Cardinal Sin would reprise that relation successful 2001 erstwhile helium helped overthrow different beleaguered president, Joseph Estrada.

After that, though, religion leaders were accused of cosying up to Estrada's successor, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, partially to summation her enactment successful opposing increasing governmental and societal unit to grow entree to household readying and legalise divorce.

And they were reluctant to condemn President Duterte's cause warfare because, contempt the appalling quality cost, it remained fashionable with the Filipino public, astatine slightest distant from the poorer areas wherever the killings took place.

Nearly 40 years aft its pivotal relation successful overthrowing the Marcos regime, the church's power erstwhile again seems to beryllium waning, arsenic it did a period ago.

For instance, the Church's fervent absorption could not forestall the Philippines Congress from passing the Reproductive Health Law of 2012 that made household readying easy accessible.

This is contempt the information that galore Filipino Catholics stay blimpish connected issues similar sex and divorce, says Jayeel Cornelio, a sociologist who has written extensively connected Catholicism successful the Philippines.

The church's decision implicit household planning, helium says, is indicative of its diminished sway implicit nationalist politics.

"The Catholic religion was practically sidelined during the Duterte presidency. When Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos ran for president successful 2022, galore Catholic leaders and institutions expressed their dissent and adjacent endorsed the opposition. But Marcos inactive won."

Many Filipinos invited this, including, it seems, Cardinal David.

"It is not the concern of the religion to govern, neither is it the concern of authorities to tally a church", helium said.

"But we tin complement 1 different - I cannot accidental we volition beryllium apolitical. So agelong arsenic we instrumentality to our relation arsenic a motivation and spiritual leader, we tin springiness guidance, adjacent astir governmental and economical matters."

Even that much constricted presumption of the church's due role, though, has tally into opposition.

Thirteen years aft overcoming ecclesiastical objections to the Reproductive Health Bill, the Philippines Congress is present trying to get a measure passed which would legalise divorce, thing other the religion disagrees with.

"I bash not expect them to alteration their authoritative doctrine, but successful my occupation arsenic a lawmaker, I effort to code the problems that Filipinos face, and I don't privation them to meddle successful my work. It is against our constitution to legislate successful favour of immoderate religion," says Geraldine Roman, the archetypal transgender subordinate of Congress successful the Philippines.

A practicing Catholic, she credits Pope Francis with creating a much welcoming situation for LGBTQ+ radical with his "who americium I to judge" statement.

"Nobody misgenders maine successful my religion now," she says.

But she objects to the Catholic religion lobbying against the divorcement bill, which she argues volition escaped thousands of Filipino women trapped successful abusive marriages.

"The religion is escaped to effort to indoctrinate Catholics into sticking it retired successful their marriages. But successful the end, it is the determination of the couple, and not adjacent the religion tin meddle successful that decision."

Other challenges see a congregation which is progressively disengaged. While the fig of Roman Catholics has fallen lone somewhat successful the past 3 decades, the fig attending wide astatine slightest erstwhile a week has dropped by half, to conscionable implicit 1 3rd of those surveyed recently.

Then determination are the assorted scandals associated with the Catholic church, particularly the intersexual maltreatment of minors, which critics accidental Pope Francis, portion helium did tackle the issue, did not bash capable to address.

Cardinal David recalled however President Duterte "loved to wave" a publication called "Altar of Secrets", an exposure of alleged scandals successful the Filipino church, and however helium would say, "oh, those hypocrites. Don't perceive to them. They don't signifier what they what they preach. They are abusers. I indispensable accidental immoderate radical swallowed it hook, enactment and sinker. So I americium not amazed that our motivation credibility has been challenged."

But, helium adds, defensiveness is not the mode the Church tin triumph backmost its credibility.

"It should beryllium humility. As Pope Francis advised, situation to beryllium vulnerable. Dare to beryllium criticised. Try not to stay connected that pedestal wherever radical cannot scope you, amusement your humanity.