Who Is Pablo Virgilio "Ambo" David? 10 Things About the Filipino Cardinal

After the death of Pope Francis, the Catholic Church is preparing for a historic conclave that will begin on May 7, according to Vatican News. 

Cardinal Ambo was born on March 2, 1959, in Betis, a district in Guagua, Pampanga. He is the 10th of 13 children of Pedro David, a lawyer and public prosecutor in Manila, and Bienvenida Siongco, a devout Catholic. “Having a priest as a son was the greatest achievement of her life,” the cardinal once said of his mother.

Cardinal Ambo's religious calling came early. At just 10 years old, he expressed his desire to enter the seminary, a decision supported by his deeply religious family. He studied in the minor seminary during the week and went home on weekends, according to his profile on America Magazine.

Cardinal Ambo's academic journey began at Ateneo de Manila University, where he completed his bachelor's in pre-divinity studies in 1978. He continued his theological studies at the Loyola School of Theology, earning his master’s degree in 1984. He pursued further studies in Belgium, earning a licentiate and doctorate in sacred theology from the Catholic University of Louvain. He also studied at the École Biblique in Jerusalem and became fluent in biblical languages including Aramaic.

In 2015, Pope Francis appointed him bishop of Kalookan, a diocese known for its poverty and social challenges. He quickly became a staunch advocate for the poor, opening "mission stations" to serve underserved communities.

“Ambo” is a nickname that stuck through the years. In his native Kapampangan culture, he is also called “Apung Ambo"—a nickname that roughly translates to "Ambo grandson." It was also popularized during his time as auxiliary bishop of San Fernando, when locals began calling him "Bishop Ambo."

Cardinal Ambo's brother, Randy David, is a professor emeritus of sociology at the University of the Philippines. In a column titled "Ambo @60" for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Randy recalled how their mother considered Ambo’s ordination the pinnacle of her life, and how she died peacefully in his arms as they prayed together in Kapampangan. Meanwhile, Randy’s daughter, Kara David, is also an award-winning broadcast journalist.

Elected in 2021, Cardinal Ambo currently serves his second term as CBCP president. He is the first sitting CBCP president to be elevated to the cardinalate. He was also elected vice president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences and is a member of the post-synodal council of the Synod on Synodality.

Cardinal Ambo received the surprise news while attending the Synod on Synodality in Rome. It was a rare restful Sunday for him, and he initially ignored calls from an international number to avoid expensive roaming charges. When a fellow priest texted him, "Congratulations po," Cardinal Ambo was puzzled and asked, "For what?" Upon being told that he had been named a cardinal, he replied, "Joke?" Only after seeing the video of Pope Francis announcing his name during the Angelus did the news finally sink in.

Asked what qualities he would look for in the next pope, he said without hesitation, in a January 2025 interview with America Magazine: "Someone who can sustain the challenge that Pope Francis has made about a church that is more inclusive, a church that goes out to the peripheries, a church that is like a field hospital for the wounded. All of these things inspire me personally, and I think, I’m hopeful, that the majority of the cardinals are quite attuned to this, too."