Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David has been conferred a Doctorate in Humanities, Honoris Causa, by the Holy Angel University on Wednesday, Dec. 1.
The new president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines was conferred the honorary doctorate at the HAU Theatre in Angeles City.
The CBCP Secretariat shared pictures of the conferment on social media.
Last month, HAU cited David's inspirational leadership in Church and community and for his tireless work of evangelization as writer, homilist, cultural heritage worker and advocate for the environment, as well as for his courage to care for the poorest of the poor, defend the defenseless and empower the marginalized as reasons for the conferment of the honorary doctorate.
Born on March 2, 1959 in Betis, Guagua, Pampanga, David studied at the Mother of Good Counsel Minor Seminary and later at the San Jose Major Seminary.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in Pre-Divinity from the Ateneo de Manila University, his master’s degree in Theology from the Loyola School of Theology, and both his licentiate and doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. He has also trained at the École Biblique et Archeologique Française de Jerusalem.
After his ordination as priest in 1983, he was appointed assistant parish priest of the Sta. Lucia Parish in Sasmuan and then assigned to the Mother of Good Counsel Seminary.
In 2006, he was appointed parish priest of The Lord’s Ascension Parish in San Fernando and Auxiliary Bishop of San Fernando at the same time.
In 2008, he became parish priest of the Holy Rosary Parish in Angeles City while concurrently Auxiliary Bishop, and in 2016 he was installed as Bishop of Kalookan.