Pope Francis appoints Filipino priest as undersecretary of Vatican section

Pope Francis on Thursday, 7 November, appointed Filipino priest Msgr. Erwin Jose Balagapo as the new undersecretary of a section of the Vatican's Dicastery for Evangelization.

The new role is a promotion of Balagopo, who had been serving as head of the office in the Section for the First Evangelization and New Particular Churches since July 2023.

The section is led by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. The other section, Fundamental Questions Regarding Evangelization in the World is led by Archbishop Rino Fisichella.

Balagapo, 53, hails from Sulat, a small town in Eastern Samar province. He was born in Catbalogan, Samar on 8 March, 1971, according to the Vatican announcement.

He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Palo in 1996 and has held several roles, including professor of canon law, head of ongoing formation for the clergy, judicial vicar, and chancellor of the archdiocese.

In Rome, he earned a Doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross and a Licentiate in Moral Theology from the former Pontifical Institute "John Paul II."

Balagapo has worked at the Vatican dicastery since 2015 following his advanced studies in Rome.

Meanwhile, Kidapawan Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo announced the existence of the Missionary of Mercy in their diocese.

According to Bagaforo, Fisichella named Fr. Charles Allan Nemenzo as the "missionary mercy" of Kidapawan.

In 2016, Pope Francis appointed over 1,000 "missionaries of mercy" around the world, including four Filipinos, Fr. Andres Ma. Ranoa, Fr. Pedro Roberto Manansala, Fr. Jerome Ponce, and Fr. Jose Litigio.