Four New Bishops in Four Months!

The Church moves on as She has been doing for the past two thousand years. One significant happening in the so-called history of salvation is the ordination of new bishops as successors of the apostles and heads of local churches or dioceses.

This year 2018 the Apostolic Nunciature under the charge of the Papal Nuncio Archbishop Gabriele Caccia has made public the appointments by Pope Francis of four new bishops from Mindanao to fill in four vacant dioceses also in Mindanao due to the mandatory, demise or transfer of their previous occupants.

In the order of appointment they are Bishop Abel Apigo for the Diocese of Mati, Davao Oriental, Bishop Raul Dael for the Diocese of Tandag, Surigao del Sur, Bishop Medel Aseo for the Diocese of Tagum, Davao del Norte, and Bishop Cirilo Casicas for the Diocese of Marbel, South Cotabato.

There are notable aspects of this appointment. The new bishops are all from Mindanao while their predecessors are non-Mindanaoans. Bishop Apigo of Davao succeeds Bishop Patricio Alo who came from the Archdiocese of Cebu, Bishop Dael of Cagayan de Oro succeeds Bishop Nerio Odchimar who was from the Archdiocese of Manila, Bishop Aseo of Tagum succeeds Bishop Wilfredo Manlapas who came from the Diocese of Maasin, Southern Leyte, and Bishop Casicas of Cagayan de Oro succeeds Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez who came from the Archdiocese of Capiz.

Another notable aspect of these new appointments is that both Bishops Apigo and Aseo are from the St. Francis Xavier Regional Seminary in Davao City. Bishops Dael and Casicas are from St. John Mary Vianney Regional Seminary in Cagayan de Oro City.

Four ecclesiastical jurisdictions or local churches new are waiting for their replacements. They are the archdiocese of Cotabato under Orlando Cardenal Quevedo who is on a hold-over capacity; the Prelature of Isabela in Basilan vacated by Bishop Martin Jumoad to become Archbishop of Ozamiz but temporarily administered by Fr. Jose Roel Casas; Diocese of Butuan vacated by the death of Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos but temporarily administered by Archbishop Antonio Ledesma; Diocese of Iligan vacated by the death of Bishop Elenito Galido but temporarily by Bishop Severo Caermare; and the archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro with hold-over resigned Archbishop Antonio Ledesma.