Pope Francis accepts resignation of Catarman bishop

Pope Francis —REUTERS

TACLOBAN CITY—Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Emmanuel Trance of the Diocese of Catarman in Northern Samar on Dec. 8, according to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).Trance, a native of Jaro in Iloilo City, tendered his resignation five years ahead of the mandatory retirement age of 75 due to “health reasons,” the CBCP said in a post on its website on Friday.

The Holy Father named Auxiliary Bishop of Antipolo Nolly Buco as the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Catarman.

“Due to health reasons, and the need of the diocese to be led by a healthier and stronger bishop, I have asked the Holy Father to relieve me of the pastoral care of the diocese,” Trance himself announced during a Mass on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception at the Catarman Cathedral last Friday.

As bishop of Catarman, the provincial capital of Northern Samar, Trance joined the fight against the destruction of the environment in the province and was also active in the fight to end the local insurgency problem in the province.

Gov. Edwin Ongchuan expressed his gratitude to Trance for serving the faithful in Northern Samar.“Let us come together in gratitude for the invaluable contributions he has made as our local ordinary here in Northern Samar for nearly two decades, positively impacting numerous lives,” the governor said in a social media post on Saturday. Trance was ordained priest in 1978 and was appointed coadjutor bishop of Catarman in May 2004.

Trance assumed leadership of the diocese after the retirement of the first bishop of Catarman, the late Angel Hobayan, on March 10, 2005.

Buco, on the other hand, was appointed as auxiliary bishop of Antipolo in July 2018. —JOEY GABIETA INQ