Rufino Cardinal Santos

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Rufino Jiao Cardinal Santos (August 26, 1908 - September 3, 1973) was a Filipino Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.

[edit] Biography

Born in Guagua Pampanga, he served as the Archbishop of Manila from 1953 to 1973. He succeeded Archbishop Reyes and held the distinction of being the first Filipino cardinal. Cardinal Santos paved the way for the founding of Catholic Charities (eventually known as Caritas Manila) and the reconstruction of St. Paul Hospital (now the Cardinal Santos Medical Center) which was established by Maryknoll Sisters and damaged by heavy American artillery during World War II. He also re-instituted the Philippine Trust Company and the Catholic Travel Office. During his term, the Manila Cathedral, which was also ravaged during World War II, was rebuilt and dedicated to the patronage of the Immaculate Conception on December 10, 1958. It was also during his term that Pope Paul VI made a pastoral visit to the Philippines, the first ever by a Supreme Pontiff in the history of the Philippine Church. The Pope’s journey was also occasioned by the Asian Bishops’ Meeting, which was graced by the presence of the Holy Father himself.

[edit] Legacy

Caritas Manila’s history began with a Cardinal that "walked the talk".

Rufino Cardinal Santos, first Filipino Cardinal, became the 29th Archbishop of Manila in a post-war scenario that saw a nation plagued with the following: a high dependency on the upper class in the country's social, economic and political growth; a growing inequality in the distribution of wealth; a critical unfairness in labor, land and tenancy--all catalysts to the resurgence of the communist movement. It was to this disparate social order that Rufino Cardinal Santos spoke upon his installation:

I have thought of organizing a social welfare for uplifting the spirit and soul of these unfortunate members of our community. The Archdiocese will lead in this undertaking with an initial amount of fifty to one hundred thousand pesos. Then I expect the more fortunate of the faithful in the Archdiocese to contribute their help in the amount of 1 peso a month for the same purpose, in order that we may budget some two hundred to two hundred fifty thousand pesos a year for buying food, clothing and medicines for distribution among our poor brethren, and the education of their children.

This plan took shape soon after when the Cardinal appointed an eleven-man Administrative Board on October 1, 1953. And so a new era had dawned, when the establishment of Caritas Manila (first known as Catholic Charities) brought structure and organization to the way the Church’s charitable works in the Archdiocese of Manila were being implemented.

The initial years were largely a period of identifying those who needed help the most, prioritizing and allocating medical aid, food and clothing when needed. These were superseded by programs that harnessed talents and opened up work opportunities for Manila's teeming masses, such as the educational assistance program and job placement program. Nonetheless it was medical assistance, crisis intervention and emergency relief that had the greatest impact, reaching thousands of the sick and indigent. Cardinal Santos was "reviled" for his "conservatism on social issues and business acumen" [1]. However, it was his vision and altruism that had made Caritas Manila a success and his most noteworthy accomplishment. He died in Manila in 1973.