The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Wednesday confirmed the passing of Fr. Catalino Arevalo, SJ, dubbed the “Father of Asian Theology,” at the age of 97.
In a statement posted on Facebook, CBCP president and Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David said Arevalo, who served as spiritual adviser of the late former President Corazon "Cory" Aquino, died at 1:45 AM on Wednesday, January 18.
"Our dear mentor and friend, Fr Catalino Arevalo, SJ, whom we fondly called ‘Fr Revs,’ has passed on,” Bishop David said.
“May this great teacher to whom we owe our love for theological learning and the spiritual discipline of discernment rest in the peace of God’s embrace,” he added.
He would have been 98 years old in three months, the CBCP president added.
Arevalo has been close to the Aquino family. In January 2019, he lead a Mass during the 86th birth anniversary of former President Cory Aquino at the Manila Memorial Park in Sucat, Parañaque City.
Father Arevalo was named the “Father of Asian Theology” by the Ateneo de Manila University at a convocation commemorating the feast of Saint Ignatius of Loyola in 1998.
