Antonio Ledesma

Last updated
The Most Reverend

Antonio J. Ledesma

S.J., D.D.
Archbishop Emeritus of Cagayan de Oro
Province Ecclesiastical Province of Cagayan de Oro
See Cagayan de Oro
Installed4 March 2006
Term ended23 June 2020
Predecessor Jesus Tuquib
Successor Jose Cabantan
Previous post(s)Vice-President,
Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines;
Prelate of Ipil;
Coadjutor Prelate of Ipil
Orders
Ordination16 April 1973
Consecration31 August 1996
by  Gian Vincenzo Moreni
Personal details
Born
Antonio Javellana Ledesma

(1943-03-28) March 28, 1943 (age 81)
Iloilo City, Commonwealth of the Philippines
Nationality Filipino
Denomination Roman Catholicism
ResidenceArchbishop's House
Cagayan de Oro, Philippines
Alma mater Ateneo de Manila University (undergraduate)
University of the Philippines (M.A.)
University of Wisconsin–Madison (Ph.D.)
Motto"Opus Solidaritatis Pax" (Peace is the Fruit of Solidarity)
Coat of arms Archb. Antonio Ledesma Arms, correct heraldic design.svg
Styles of
Antonio J. Ledesma
Archb. Antonio Ledesma Arms, correct heraldic design.svg
Reference style The Most Reverend
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious style Archbishop

Antonio Javellana Ledesma, S.J. (born March 28, 1943) is a Filipino Roman Catholic clergyman who served as the Archbishop of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines from 2006 to 2020. [1]

Contents

Early life

Born on March 28, 1943, in Iloilo City, Philippines. [2] He spent his elementary years at St. Aloysius School and later at the Ateneo de Manila. Since then, he remained with the Ateneo until he finished his degree in history and government, graduating magna cum laude in 1963. [3]

He studied philosophy and theology at the Loyola House of Studies from 1966 to 1968 and from 1970 to 1973, respectively. He attained his master's degree in political science from the University of the Philippines. He attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the United States, completing his doctorate in development in 1980. [4]

Ministry

Priesthood

On May 30, 1963, Ledesma entered the Society of Jesus. He was ordained priest on April 16, 1973. [5]

He served as an assistant parish priest in Siay, Zamboanga Sibugay, from 1980 to 1981. From 1982 to 1996, he worked as a professor and was assigned to various positions in Xavier University. He taught sociology, economics, and religious studies. [6]

PositionTerm of OfficeOrganization
Dean 1984-1994 College of Agriculture, Xavier University
Director1984-1994 Southeast Asia Rural Social Leadership Institute
Director1984-1996 Xavier University College of Agriculture – Manresa Farm Complex
Executive Vice President1984-1996 Xavier Science Foundation
Executive Vice President1994-1996 Xavier University
Dean1994-1996 College of Arts and Sciences, Xavier University

During the same period, he sat as chairman of different societies and non-governmental organizations. [7]

PositionTerm of OfficeOrganization
Chairman1985-1986Philippine Sociology Society
Chairman1985-1990Philippine Partnership for the Development Of Human Resources in Rural Areas
Chairman1984-1996Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development
Chairman1994Philippine Agrarian Reform Foundation for National Development

Episcopate

Pope John Paul II appointed Ledesma as Coadjutor Prelate of Ipil on June 13, 1996. [8] [9] He succeeded Federico O. Escaler as the Prelate of Ipil on June 28, 1997.

On March 4, 2006, he was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro. During his term, he has led the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines as Chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Inter-religious Dialogue since 2009. [10] [11] He has convened local religious leaders in inter-religious dialogues on different social issues. [12] In the aftermath of Typhoon Sendong and in the absence of local government leadership, he led the multi-sectoral relief effort to address the needs of calamity victims. [13]

During the 2016 Philippine Presidential Elections, he wrote a pastoral letter calling out presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte for his inaction on the rising number of extrajudicial killings in Davao City where the latter was mayor. [14] One month into the presidency of eventual winner Duterte, Ledesma made a call to stop extrajudicial killings. He said: [15]

We condemn the killings because it is not only against the law, but also to the Constitution and morality. Killing without due process is certainly condemnable… We should all respect dignity of human life.

Ledesma has also supported efforts to resolve Mindanao's protracted struggle with Muslim separatists. He has spoken and advocated for the Bangsamoro Basic Law. [16]

On June 23, 2020, Pope Francis accepted his retirement as Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro and was succeeded by then-Malaybalay Bishop Jose Cabantan.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Davao</span> Roman Catholic archdiocese in the Philippines

The Archdiocese of Davao is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. It is a metropolitan see in southern Mindanao. The archdiocese comprises the city of Davao, The Island Garden City of Samal, and the municipality of Talaingod, Davao del Norte in Davao del Norte.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zamboanga</span> Roman Catholic archdiocese in the Philippines

The Archdiocese of Zamboanga is a Catholic archdiocese in the Philippines. Its present jurisdiction includes Zamboanga City, with suffragans in Basilan, Zamboanga Sibugay, and the Apostolic Vicariate of Jolo. It became Mindanao's first diocese in 1910, and was established as the second archdiocese of Mindanao in 1958. Today, the archdiocese covers a land area of 1,648 square kilometers and has a population of 442,345, of which 81 percent are Catholics. The archdiocese includes 28 parishes and one quasi-parish, served by 57 diocesan and 18 religious priests. There are also 51 religious sisters working in the archdiocese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ozamiz</span> Archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ozamis is a metropolitan archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the province of Misamis Occidental, southern Philippines. The archdiocese cathedral is the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Ozamiz City, and its present archbishop is Martin Jumoad. The official spelling of the church is Ozamis, while the city it is located is Ozamiz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesus Dosado</span> Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church (1939–2020)

His Grace Archbishop Jesús Armamento Dosado was a Vincentian Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. He served as the Bishop and later Archbishop of Ozamiz from 1981 until his retirement in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro</span> Archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesus Tuquib</span> Filipino archbishop (1930–2019)

Jesus Balaso Tuquib was a Filipino archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines. Tuquib first assumed episcopal office as Bishop of the Diocese of Pagadian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Cronin (bishop)</span>

Patrick Henry Cronin, was an Irish, Roman Catholic, Columban archbishop and missionary. He was the second Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines, serving during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Hayes (bishop)</span>

James Thomas Gibbons Hayes, was an American, Roman Catholic, Jesuit archbishop and missionary who served as the first Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Malaybalay</span> Roman Catholic diocese in the Philippines

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Malaybalay is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Ipil</span> Roman Catholic diocese in the Philippines

The Diocese of Ipil is a Roman Catholic Diocese located in the municipality of Ipil in the ecclesiastical province of Zamboanga in the Philippines. It is an ecclesiastical territory in the province of Zamboanga Sibugay. It occupies an area of 4,850 square kilometers extending from the boundary of Zamboanga del Norte on the north to Olutanga Island on the south, from the town of Tungawan on the west to the town Margosatubig on the east boundaries set by Pope John Paul II himself when he decreed the separation of this ecclesiastical territory from the Archdiocese of Zamboanga on December 24, 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teofilo Camomot</span> Filipino archbishop and Venerable

Teofilo Bastida Camomot was a Roman Catholic Archbishop from the Philippines. Ordained a diocesan priest of the Archdiocese of Cebu on 14 December 1941, he was eventually appointed an auxiliary bishop on 23 March 1955 and receiving the titular see of Clysma. He became coadjutor archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro on 10 June 1958, becoming titular archbishop of Marcianopolis. While waiting for then-archbishop James Hayes to retire, Camomot resigned for health reasons on 17 June 1970. He was killed in a vehicular accident in San Fernando on 27 September 1988 at the age of 74. A process was started which may lead to his canonization as a saint.

Federico O. Escaler, S.J. was a Filipino bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the founding prelate of Kidapawan (1976–1980) and Ipil (1980–1997), and president of Ateneo de Davao University (1962–1966) and Xavier University (1973–1976).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sergio Utleg</span> Roman Catholic archbishop-emeritus

Sergio Lasam Utleg, is a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines. He is the former Archbishop of Tuguegarao in Tuguegarao, Philippines. On October 18, 2019, his resignation was accepted by Pope Francis, appointing Alaminos Bishop Ricardo Baccay as his successor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fernando Capalla</span> Filipino Roman Catholic bishop (1934–2024)

Fernando Robles Capalla was a Roman Catholic archbishop-emeritus of the Archdiocese of Davao. He was succeeded by Romulo Valles as archbishop of Davao on February 11, 2012. He died on January 6, 2024, at the age of 89.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Mabutas</span>

Archbishop Antonio Lloren Mabutas † was the first bishop of Diocese of Laoag and the second Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Davao. He succeeded Clovis Thibault, PME on 9 December 1972. He was also the President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines from 1981 to 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marlo Peralta</span>

Marlo Mendoza Peralta, is a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines. He is the current Archbishop of Nueva Segovia in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jose Cabantan</span> Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1957)

José Araneta Cabantan is a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church, serving as the archbishop of the Latin Church Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raul Dael</span>

Raúl Bautista Dáel is a Filipino Roman Catholic clergyman who is currently the Bishop of the Diocese of Tandag.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julius Tonel</span> 20th and 21st-century Roman Catholic Archbishop

Julius Sullan Tonel is a Filipino Catholic bishop appointed as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Zamboanga in April 2023. Previously he had served as bishop of Ipil since 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reynaldo Bersabal</span>

Reynaldo Bendijo Bersabal is a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church who serves as the auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Sacramento.

References

  1. ↑ "Bishop José Araneta Cabantan". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Archbishop Antonio Javellana Ledesma, S.J." Catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
  3. ↑ "MOST REV. ANTONIO JAVELLANA LEDESMA, SJ, D.D." Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
  4. ↑ "MOST REV. ANTONIO JAVELLANA LEDESMA, SJ, D.D." Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
  5. ↑ "Archbishop Antonio Javellana Ledesma, S.J." Catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
  6. ↑ "MOST REV. ANTONIO JAVELLANA LEDESMA, SJ, D.D." Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
  7. ↑ "MOST REV. ANTONIO JAVELLANA LEDESMA, SJ, D.D." Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
  8. ↑ "Archbishop Antonio Javellana Ledesma, S.J." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro". UCA Directory: Database of Catholic Dioceses in Asia. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  10. ↑ Alave, Kristine (August 7, 2008). "Bishop: Guard vs extremists derailing peace in Mindanao". Inquirer.net. Archived from the original on September 17, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. ↑ "Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro". UCA Directory: Database of Catholic Dioceses in Asia. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  12. ↑ "CDO Mormon Leaders Meet with Archbishop Ledesma". Mormon Newsroom Philippines. February 9, 2015. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  13. ↑ "CDO mayor faces brewing protest storm". Inquirer.net. January 2, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  14. ↑ Gonzales, Yuji Vincent (May 4, 2016). "Senior Mindanao prelate calls out Duterte in pastoral letter". Inquirer.net. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  15. ↑ Orias, Pamela Jay (July 30, 2016). "Killings should not be justified, says Oro Archbishop Ledesma". SunStar Cagayan de Oro. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  16. ↑ ""The price of peace in Mindanao starts with ourselves," – His Excellency Archbishop Ledesma". Far Eastern University. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro
2006-2020		Succeeded by
Preceded by Prelate of Ipil
1997-2006		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.