Bishops to elect new officers in 3-day assembly

MANILA, Philippines—The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) will elect a new set of leaders, including a new president, when it gathers Saturday for the three-day annual plenary assembly.

While current CBCP president Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma is still eligible for reelection, the senior prelate on Friday said he has no intention of holding on to the post and he would rather have another equally capable bishop to succeed him.

“There are other bishops that are good and I’ve been saying this and I will say this to the plenary that they pick another one,” Palma told reporters.

He pointed out that he has so many pastoral duties in the Cebu archdiocese but could not get around them because of his many tasks as the leader of the influential Church body.

Palma was elected CBCP president late 2011, replacing Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar, who served for two years.