Pope Francis appoints 2 new bishops in Mindanao

KORONADAL CITY — The Vatican has appointed two new bishops in Mindanao – Rev. Cerilo Casicas to head the Diocese of South Cotabato and Bishop Abel Apigo in Davao Oriental.

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Marbel Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez and named Casicas as the prelate on Saturday.

Casicas, 51, thus became the fourth bishop of the Diocese of South Cotabato.

Gutierrez, now 79, was supposed to retire four years ago, but his tenure was extended by the Vatican while a search for his replacement was launched.

Casicas, who hails from Bohol, is currently the director of Pastoral Formation and professor at the Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary in Cagayan de Oro City.

The new South Cotabato prelate was born in Duero, Bohol in March 1967 and educated at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Seminary (OLPHS) in Koronadal City and at the Saint Francis Xavier Regional Seminary in Davao City.

He was ordained a priest on Oct. 27, 1994 and took on various roles after that.

The Diocese of Marbel covers the provinces of South Cotabato, part of Sarangani and part of Sultan Kudarat.

In Davao Oriental, Pope Francis designated Apigo, who formally reported for work on April 25.

The 49-year-old Apigo, who hails from Davao City, was ordained a priest on April 18, 1994.

He spent his graduate studies in Licentiate in Church History at the Pontificia Universita Gregoriana in Rome from 1997 up to 2000. He also attended major seminars on the Book of Deuteronomy at the Bat Kol Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.

Davao Oriental had no bishop for three years following the retirement of Bishop Patricio Alo. /atm