A Filipino priest has formally assumed the role of ecclesiastical superior of the Mission Sui Iuris of Funafuti in Tuvalu, Polynesia.

Fr. Eliseo Napiere, a Mission Society of the Philippines (MSP) member, was installed in his new ministry during Mass at Christ the King Parish in Funafuti over the weekend.

Napiere's installation took place in the presence of Fr. Joshua Bogsti, charge d'affaires at the apostolic nunciature in Aotearoa New Zealand, and MSP Father Moderator Fr. Reginaldo Lavilla.

Napiere, 58, succeeded Bishop Reynaldo Getalado who now leads the Diocese of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands.

Mission Sui Iuris is an independent mission established by the Catholic Church to an area with very few Catholics or in places where Christianity is either outlawed or undergoing persecution.

Funafuti has only one parish for its 110 Catholics.

Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is located about midway between Hawaii and Australia.

A 2017 census determined that Tuvalu had a population of 10,645, making it the second-least populous country in the world, behind Vatican City.