Pope Francis has appointed a Filipino-born priest as head of a diocese in the Oceanian country of Papua New Guinea (PNG).
The Pontiff named Fr. Pedro Baquero Jr. will head the Diocese of Kerema as its new bishop, following the death of its previous bishop in 2013.
Established in 1971, the Diocese of Kerema has an estimated population of 28,300 Catholics.
According to a post on the Vatican Radio website, Baquero, 46, was the superior of the Salesian Vice-province of Papua New Guinea-Solomon Islands.
Baquero, a Salesian priest, was born in Manila on Sept. 15, 1970, and was ordained a priest in 1999 in Parañaque City.
He served as the Salesian Superior Delegate of Papua New Guinea-Solomon Islands from 2014 to 2016. —JULIE M. AURELIO
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