José Tomás Sánchez (March 17, 1920 – March 9, 2012) was a Filipino Catholic prelate who served as prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy from 1991 to 1996. He previously held several diocesan bishop positions in the Philippines, the last of which was Archbishop of Nueva Segovia from 1982 to 1986.

He was ordained a priest on May 12, 1946, and consecrated bishop on May 12, 1968, following his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Cáceres. He was elevated to cardinal on June 28, 1991, by Pope John Paul II.

Early life and education

Sánchez was born in Pandan in the island-province of Catanduanes. He was the eighth of ten children born to Patricio Sánchez and Paz Tomás, who was said to be of Spanish descent.

He attended the Holy Rosary Seminary (then named Seminario del Santísimo Rosario) in Naga City, and afterwards obtained his doctorate in theology at the University of Santo Tomás of Manila.

Early priesthood

After an early ambition to become an engineer, Sánchez almost did not enter the priesthood when Imperial Japan temporarily closed the seminary during the Second World War; his friends from the seminary encouraged him to continue his studies.

Episcopacy

Bishop of Lucena

On December 13, 1971, he was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Lucena with the right to succeed as Bishop of Lucena upon the see's vacancy, which he did on September 25, 1976, at age 56.

"His constant prayer was that Europe’s loss of its Christian faith would never happen in the Philippines," wrote former Senator Francisco Tatad. "And he would contribute his last strength to the fight of the Filipino family against the international reproductive health lobby, which has destroyed the family and killed the Christian faith in many parts of the world."

Cardinal Sánchez died on March 9, 2012, at the age of 91 due to multiple organ failure and 8 days before his 92nd birthday. He was the longest-living Filipino Cardinal, until August 2024, when Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales turned 92 on August 10, making Sanchez the second longest-lived Filipino Cardinal.

References

  • Vatican Cardinal Bio
  • https://web.archive.org/web/20120325092035/http://www.bicolmail.com/issue/2012/mar22/xjose.html Bicol Mail