Pope appoints new Davao archbishop

“The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Abel Cahiles A. Apigo as metropolitan archbishop of Davao, Philippines, transferring him from the diocese of Mati,” the Vatican made the announcement on Monday, 9 November.

Apigo will succeed Archbishop Romulo Valles who served as head of the archdiocese since 2012 and retired after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75 last July.

Valles has been president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) from December 2017 to November 2021, bishop of Kidapawan from 1997 to 2006, and, after that, became archbishop of Zamboanga until 2012.

Meanwhile, the Diocese of Mati in Davao Oriental expressed elation over the appointment of Apigo.

“This momentous occasion marks a new chapter in his journey of faith and service to the Church. We give thanks to God for his generous pastoral leadership, unwavering dedication, and faithful service to the people of the Diocese of Mati,” it said.

“As he embraces this new mission, may the Lord continue to guide him with wisdom, strengthen him with grace, and fill his heart with the love of Christ as he shepherds the Archdiocese of Davao,” it added.

Apigo, who was born in 1968 in Calinan, Davao City, took up philosophy at the Saint Francis Xavier College Seminary in Davao City, theology at the Saint Francis Xavier Major Seminary in Davao City, and later awarded a licentiate in Church history at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

The 58-year-old prelate got ordained as a priest in 1994 in the Archdiocese of Davao.

Since then, he held various positions including parish vicar at the Cathedral San Pedro in Davao City; pastoral director, professor, coordinator, vice rector, dean, and rector of the Saint Francis Xavier Major Regional Seminary of Davao City; and episcopal vicar for the clergy of the Archdiocese of Davao.

Apigo got named bishop of the Diocese of Mati in 2018.