Pope Francis appoints new bishop to oversee Laguna

Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit Jr. —Diocese of Boac

LUCENA CITY, QUEZON, Philippines — Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit Jr. as the new spiritual head of the Diocese of San Pablo in Laguna province.

The appointment of Maralit—the current bishop of Boac in Marinduque province—as the fifth bishop of San Pablo, was announced in Rome at noon on Saturday, the news website of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) reported.

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Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara of Pasig has overseen the Diocese of San Pablo, which covers the whole province of Laguna, as an apostolic administrator following the resignation of Bishop Buenaventura Famadico on Sept. 21, 2023, for health reasons.

Maralit, 55, was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Lipa on March 13, 1995. He later attended the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, obtaining a licentiate in church history.

In December 2014, Pope Francis appointed Maralit the bishop of Boac at the age of 45. Maralit currently chairs the CBCP’s Episcopal Commission on Social Communications.

In a statement, the Diocese of San Pablo said “the appointment of Bishop Junie (Maralit’s nickname) comes as a gift to the Diocese of San Pablo as we approach the Jubilee Year 2025.”

“As the theme of the Holy Year suggests, we are all pilgrims of hope, and now God sends us a pastor who will lead us towards the path of ‘synodality,’” the Diocese of San Pablo said on its Facebook page.

The Diocese of Boac appealed to all Catholic faithful in the island province to pray for Bishop Maralit for his new appointment, “always keeping in mind and heart the good of the Church.” —Delfin T. Mallari