Filipino priest named Saipan bishop

A Filipino priest has been appointed by Pope Francis as the new bishop of the Church in Oceania.

CBCPNews, the official news service of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, reported on its website that Fr. Ryan Jimenez will be the second bishop of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa in Saipan, the largest of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Born in Dumaguete City and raised in Larena, Siquijor, Jimenez succeeds Bishop Emeritus Tomas Camacho, who served the diocese for 25 years until his retirement in 2010.

His episcopal ordination is set for Aug. 14 at the Chalan Kanoa Cathedral.

The 44-year-old new bishop obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Pre-Divinity from Ateneo de Manila University before he left for Saipan in 1997.

As a major seminarian for the Chalan Kanoa diocese, he continued his studies at St. Patrick Seminary and University in California, where he earned his masters in theology in 2003./rga