The official portrait of Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula was unveiled at the Pontificio Collegio Filippino in Rome.

The Archdiocese of Manila shared pictures of the unveiling ceremony in their Facebook page Sunday, May 1.

Inaugurated by Saint John XXIII in 1961, the Collegio is the “home in Rome” of Filipino diocesan priests pursuing further studies.

Fr. Gregory Ramon D. Gaston, Rector of the Pontificio Collegio Filippino, told the Archdiocese of Manila Office of Communications of the Cardinal’s effort to continue molding priests to become effective in their vocation.

“We are honored to host our distinguished alumnus Cardinal Advincula during these days of his meetings and pilgrimage. He was named Cardinal last year, as the Collegio celebrated its 60th year of life and service to the Church especially back home in the Philippines,” he said.

“As Archbishop of Capiz and now of Manila, Cardinal Joe has been continuously sending priests to the Collegio for further studies and to strengthen the seminaries and other diocesan ministries back home. I am sure he has fond memories of his stay at the Collegio way back in the 1980s as a student of Canon Law,” he said.

Cardinal Advincula had studied canon law at both the University of Santo Tomas in Manila and the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome, obtaining a licentiate in canon law.

Advincula had a private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican in Rome last April 21, 2022. It was the first time Pope Francis met him as Cardinal and Archbishop of Manila.

The Archbishop of Manila was created and proclaimed Cardinal by the Holy Father in the consistory of November 28, 2020, at height of the pandemic in the Philippines. On March 25, 2021, Pope Francis appointed him as the 33rd Archbishop of Manila and was installed on June 24, 2021, at the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Manila Cathedral).