MANILA (UCAN): Archbishop Romulo de la Cruz of Zamboanga, southern Mindanao, the Philippines, died at a local hospital on December 10 after a long illness. He was 74-years-old.
Archbishop de la Cruz, who served the archdiocese for seven years, had been admitted to hospital with an “erratic heartbeat,” Father Armand Aquino, the archdiocesan chancellor, said in a December 11 statement, adding that he archbishop “also had very low blood pressure and slight fever.”
Father Aquino said the archbishop had suffered from heart disease for a long time and had a stroke in July, adding that he was “finally at peace.”
The chancellor said, “He has long suffered from his illness and is now given relief to enjoy eternal peace in heaven.”
The archbishop’s stroke prompted Pope Francis to name Auxiliary Bishop Moises Cuevas as apostolic administrator of the archdiocese.
“We offer our prayers to God for the soul of Archbishop Rommy, and for his family, and we pray for our Archdiocese of Zamboanga,” Father Aquino went on to say.
Archbishop de la Cruz was born in Iloilo, in the Western Visayas, in the central Philippines. He was ordained a priest on 8 December 1972, and was appointed coadjutor bishop of Isabela de Basilan in Mindanao in 1987 by Pope John Paul II before becoming the bishop in 1989.
He also served as bishop of San Jose de Antique, Iloilo, and of Kidapawan, in Cotabato, Mindanao, from 2008 until 2014 before becoming archbishop of Zamboanga.
The archbishop was known for his efforts to foster peace among Muslims and Christians in Mindanao.
