Rome: Kalookan Bishop Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David has taken possession of the Church of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ as his titular church in Rome, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) reported on Monday. David officially affirmed his identity as a member of the clergy of Rome in a ceremony on Sunday, the report on the CBCP news site said.

According to Philippines News Agency, in his homily, the cardinal asked for prayers for the Philippines as he expressed deep concern over growing public anger amid allegations of government corruption involving infrastructure projects. "Please pray for us, that we may find peace in truth and justice, not in blood," David said.

David is only the second cardinal assigned to the Church of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ. He succeeded Cardinal Pedro Rubiano Saenz of Bogota, who died in April 2024. The CBCP said a cardinal is regarded as an honorary member of the clergy of Rome, with each given a titular church, symbolically serving as its pastor and to signify his connection to the pope's pastoral ministry.

It added that a cardinal's bond with his titular church continues until death, even after retirement from active ministry. The cardinal is expected to celebrate Mass in Rome from time to time as a sign of that relationship.

The Church of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ, a 20th-century church, is located at Piazza della Trasfigurazione 2 in the Monteverde Nuovo district. It was completed in 1936 and established as a parish that same year. St. John Paul II designated it as a titular church in 2001.