Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Ruperto Santos as the new prelate of the Diocese of Antipolo following the resignation of Bishop Francisco de Leon.
The announcement was made by Archbishop Charles Brown, apostolic nuncio to the Philippines, in Manila on May 24.
Santos became bishop of the Diocese of Balanga in 2010 after serving as Rector of the Pontificio Collegio Filippino in Rome, Italy.
Born in San Rafael, a town in Bulacan province, Santos was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Manila in 1983.
The 65-year-old also received a licentiate in history from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in 1990.
Within the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, he is the vice chairman of the Episcopal Commission for Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People (ECMI), which he previously headed for many years.
At present, Santos is also the CBCP’s bishop-promoter of the Stella Maris-Philippines.
No date has yet ben set for the installation of Santos as the fifth bishop of Antipolo, home of the newly declared International Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage.
Bishop De Leon, who turned 75 and submitted his resignation to the Pope last year, headed the Diocese of Balanga since 2016.
He first served the diocese as auxiliary bishop from 2007 until November 2015 when he was appointed as its coadjutor bishop.
In September 2016, he assumed the leadership of the diocese, succeeding retired Bishop Gabriel Reyes. – with reports from CBCPNews.
