Vatican names new PH bishop

Pope Francis. AP

Pope Francis has named a priest from Leyte as the new bishop of the Diocese of Naval in Leyte.

The appointment of Msgr. Rex Ramirez was announced on Friday by the Vatican’s nunciature in Manila to the secretariat of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

In a statement on the CBCP news website, it was learned that Ramirez was a priest assigned to the Archdiocese of Palo as its vicar general.

He is also currently serving as the rector of Transfiguration of Our Lord Cathedral, also known as Palo Cathedral, in Leyte.

The 49-year-old priest will succeed outgoing Naval Bishop Filomeno Bactol, who will turn 78 on Nov. 29.

The diocese comprises the whole island of Biliran and the northwestern tip of Leyte province. —Julie M. Aurelio