2 retired Roman Catholic bishops die

DAVAO CITY – Two retired Catholic bishops in Mindanao passed away hours apart on Thursday, the Catholic Church announced.

The dioceses of Tandag and Malaybalay, in separate social media posts, announced the death of Tandag Bishop Emeritus Nereo Odchimar and Malaybalay Bishop Emeritus Honesto Pacana.

Pagadian Bishop Ronald Lunas and Davao Archbishop Emeritus Fernando Capalla, also a former president of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, died early this year.

At about 10:27 a.m., the 83-year-old Bishop Odchimar breathed his last at the San Pedro Hospital in Davao City, the diocese of Tandag said.

“While in his retirement, he had been suffering from diabetes and kidney complications. He died of metabolic encephalopathy due to end-stage renal disease and diabetic nephropathy,” it added in a Facebook post.

Bishop Odchimar was born on October 16, 1940, in Bacuag, Surigao del Norte. He was ordained priest on December 19, 1964.

He was appointed as second bishop of the Diocese of Tandag on October 18, 2001, serving in the post until he retired last February 26, 2018.

Meanwhile, Bishop Pacana died past noon  on Thursday, 10 days after he celebrated his 91st birth anniversary on January 22.

“He was admitted for days at the ICU (intensive care unit) in Maria Reyna Xavier University Hospital, CDO (Cagayan de Oro) and after bravely fighting for a couple of days, was declared dead at 12:33 p.m. today,” the Malaybalay diocese said on Thursday.

Pacana, who died of lingering illness, was ordained as a Jesuit priest on June 10, 1965, appointed as bishop on Jan. 12, 1994, and ordained as bishop of Malaybalay on March 4, 1994.

He served the diocese from 1994 to 2010.

“Please join us in offering prayers for the eternal repose of the soul of Bishop Onie and for the whole Diocese of Malaybalay as we mourn and find strength in our shared faith,” the Malaybalay diocese said in a statement.