Oscar Valero Cruz (November 17, 1934 – August 26, 2020) was a Filipino prelate of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. He was the Archbishop of Lingayen–Dagupan in

Pangasinan Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan (, ; ; ), is a coastal Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its capital is Lingayen, Pangasinan, Lingayen while San Carlos, Pangasi ...

, Philippines, from 1991 until his retirement in 2009.

Biography

Oscar Cruz was born on November 17, 1934, in

Balanga, Bataan Balanga (pronounced ), officially the City of Balanga (; ), is a component city and capital of the province of Bataan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 104,173 people. Balanga was included the UNESCO Global N ...

. He received his seminary training at the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...

Central Seminary, and further theology studies at the

Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University (; ), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. The university ...

. His priestly ordination was on February 8, 1962, and his episcopal consecration on May 3, 1976. He was the first Filipino

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

San Carlos Seminary The Royal and Conciliar San Carlos Seminary is the archdiocesan seminary of the Archdiocese of Manila. It was established in the year 1702, by decree of King Philip V of Spain. At present, the institution houses seminarians belonging to various ...

of the

Archdiocese of Manila In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

from 1973 to 1978. He was an auxiliary bishop of

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

(1976–1978) and archbishop of the

Archdiocese of San Fernando In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

(1978–1988). He served as a judicial vicar of the

Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (abbreviated as CBCP) is the permanent organizational assembly of the Catholic bishops of the Philippines exercising together certain pastoral offices for the Christian faithful of their terr ...

(CBCP) National Tribunal of Appeals, and director of the CBCP Legal Office. He was appointed Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan on July 15, 1991. Cruz published many books, including ''CBCP Guidelines on Sexual Abuse and Misconduct: A Critique'', and ''Call of the Laity''. Cruz was elected President of the

Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences The Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) is an association of episcopal conferences of Catholic Church in South, Southeast, East and Central Asia. The federation fosters solidarity and joint responsibility for the welfare of the Church ...

and served from 1993–2000.

Controversy

RTC, Branch 52 Judge Antonio Rosales on May 14, 2008, issued the warrant of arrest, granted the P10,000 bail motion, and Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz posted bail.

Libel Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...

cases were filed against him after he accused the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) of using female staff to act like "guest relations officers (GROs)" during the 2004 birthday celebration of First Gentleman

Jose Miguel Arroyo Jose Miguel Tuason Arroyo (; born June 27, 1946), also known as Mike Arroyo, is a former First Gentleman of the Philippines. A lawyer by profession, he is the husband of former president and house speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. He is the fi ...

. His

arraignment Arraignment is a formal reading of a criminal charging document in the presence of the defendant, to inform them of the criminal charges against them. In response to arraignment, in some jurisdictions, the accused is expected to enter a plea; i ...

was set on June 17.

Retirement

On September 8, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI accepted the retirement of Archbishop Cruz and was effective on November 4, 2009 where he was succeeded by

Socrates Villegas Sócrates "Soc" Buenaventura Villegas (born September 28, 1960) is a Filipino prelate, and a professed member of the Dominican Order. He is the fifth and current Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan in Pangasinan since 2009, and is the former pre ...

of the

Diocese of Balanga The Diocese of Balanga is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines, established on March 17, 1975, by Pope Paul VI. The diocese has jurisdiction over the whole province of Bataan, with 38 parishes, 5 diocesan shrines, one ...

Death

Cruz died from complications of

multiple organ failure Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is altered organ function in an acutely ill patient requiring immediate medical intervention. There are different stages of organ dysfunction for certain different organs, both in acute and in chronic ...

caused by

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

on August 26, 2020, at age 85 during the

COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines The COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). As of , there have been reported cases, and reported deaths, the fift ...

References

External links

* * *
Viewpoints: Personal Views and Commentaries of Oscar Cruz

at

Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Latin Church and the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches that are in full communion with Rome. The website, not officially sanctioned by the Church, is run as a private pro ...