Bangued diocese elects administrator

The Diocese of Bangued has elected the Rev. Liberato Ortega as diocesan administrator following the resignation of Bishop Leopoldo Jaucian, church authorities announced.

The diocese’s College of Consultors elected the 65-year-old priest to oversee administration of the local Catholic church until Pope Leo XIV appoints a permanent successor.

“Let us keep him in our prayers as he leads our local Church in accordance with the sacred canons until a new bishop is appointed,” the diocese said in a statement.

The election follows the Vatican’s 7 November announcement that the pope accepted Jaucian’s resignation as head of the diocese.

While the standard retirement age for Catholic bishops is 75, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines noted that the pope accepted the early resignation under provisions of canon law concerning bishops unable to fulfill their duties due to ill health or other grave reasons.

Jaucian, 65, was ordained a priest in 1988 and is one of three Filipino bishops from the Society of the Divine Word. He served as bishop of Bangued for nearly 19 years following his episcopal ordination on 5 January 2007.