Pope Leo appoints new Bacolod bishop

BACOLOD CITY — Pope Leo XIV on Thursday named Kabankalan Bishop Louie Galbines as the new bishop of the Diocese of Bacolod, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) announced.

He will replace Bishop Patricio Buzon who led the Diocese of Bacolod for nearly 10 years.

The move brings Galbines, 59, back to the Diocese of Bacolod where he was ordained priest and served in key leadership roles before he became prelate of Kabanklan, the CBCP said.

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Buzon, 76, retired after surpassing the mandatory retirement age for Catholic bishops. Church law requires bishops to submit their resignation at age 75, subject to papal approval.

Buzon has served as bishop for 23 years. Before his assignment to Bacolod, he spent 13 years as bishop of Kabankalan.

Galbines, was born in Aliwanag, Sagay City, in 1966, and studied philosophy and theology at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Central Seminary in Manila before his priestly ordination in Bacolod in 1994.

He initially served as deputy dean and spiritual director of Sacred Heart Seminary in Bacolod, as well as chancellor and secretary of the diocesan curia.

Galbines later pursued advanced studies in Rome at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, earning licentiate and doctoral degrees in sacred theology in 2001, the CBCP said. /das