11 dioceses nationwide vacant – CBCP

THE Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has revealed that 11 dioceses in the country are vacant.

The dioceses of Iba ( Zambales) and Mati (Davao Oriental) were left vacant after Bishop Florentino Lavarias of Iba was appointed as archbishop of San Fernando (Pampanga) in 2014 and Bishop Patricio Alo of Mati retired, also in that year.

Three more ecclesiastical jurisdictions were left vacant in 2016.

These are the dioceses of Kabankalan in Negros Occidental, Bayombong in Nueva Vizcaya and the prelature of Isabela.

The bishops of Negros Occidental and the prelature of Isabela were reassigned, while the bishop of Nueva Vizcaya, Bishop Ramon Villena, retired.

Other vacancies were caused by sudden deaths of prelates: Bishops Leopoldo Tumulak of the Military Ordinariate, Rodolfo Beltran of San Fernando ( La Union), Juan de Dios Pueblos of Butuan City ( Agusan del Sur) and Elenito Galido of Iligan City ( Lanao del Norte).

The dioceses of Daet in Camarines Norte and Ilagan in Isabela have remained vacant after it Bishop Gilbert Garcera (Daet) and Bishop Joseph Nacua ( Isabela) resigned for health reasons.