Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan as a cardinal of the Catholic Church, making him the second Filipino to be part of the Sacred College, the body that will eventually elect the next pope.

David, 65, was among the 21 new cardinals whose appointments were announced by the Vatican on Sunday, October 6.

He is joined by three other prelates from Asia: Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo, Bishop Paskalis Syukur of Bogor in Indonesia, and Archbishop Dominique Joseph Mathieu of Tehran-Ispahan in Iran.

Currently serving as the Bishop of Kalookan and the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, David has been a vocal critic of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial anti-drug campaign, which has claimed the lives of approximately 6,000 suspected drug pushers and users - many of them turning out to be innocent.

Among the casualties were minors, including 17-year-old Kian Lloyd de los Santos, who was killed by police in Caloocan City, sparking outrage and calls for accountability.

Pope Francis announced that the newly appointed cardinals will receive their red hats during a Vatican ceremony known as a consistory, scheduled for December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

With this appointment, David will join 122 of the 236 cardinals under the age of 80 who are eligible to participate in a future conclave to elect the next leader of the Catholic Church.

He becomes the fourth active Filipino cardinal, joining Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, 67, at the Sacred College.

Tagle serves as the Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization in the Vatican. He was appointed cardinal in 2012.

The two other living Filipino cardinals are Cardinal Orlando Quevedo, 85, Archbishop Emeritus of Cotabato, who was elevated in 2014, and Cardinal Gaudencio B. Rosales, 92, Archbishop Emeritus of Manila, appointed in 2006.

Born in Betis, Pampanga, David was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of San Fernando in 1983. He was appointed auxiliary bishop of San Fernando in 2006 before being transferred to the Diocese of Kalookan.

A prominent biblical scholar, David holds a doctorate in theology from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.