MANILA — Pope Francis has reappointed Nueva Segovia Auxiliary Bishop David William Antonio as apostolic administrator of Vicariate of San Jose in Occidental Mindoro.
According to an article posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) news website, the reappointment was announced after the Holy Father accepted the early resignation of Bishop Antonio Palang from the pastoral care of the Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose on Saturday.
The Vatican’s bulletin did not mention why Palang, who is only 71 years old, resigned from the post he held for 16 years.
Under the Church law, bishops are required to submit their resignation when they reached the age of 75.
Palang was ordained priest for the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) on July 8, 1972. He was appointed as the second bishop of San Jose in March 2002.
On the other hand, Antonio was ordained priest for Nueva Segovia on December 1, 1988. He was appointed to the episcopacy in June 2011.
On Nov. 21, 2015, Antonio, 54, was first named apostolic administrator of San Jose. (Ferdinand Patinio/PNA)