Filipino named prelate in Melbourne

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MANILA, Philippines — Pope Francis has appointed a Filipino missionary priest as one of two new auxiliary bishops of the Archdiocese of Melbourne in Australia.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines news website said the Vatican announced on Friday the appointments of Fr. Rene Ramirez and Fr. Thinh Nguyen as auxiliary bishops of Melbourne Archbishop Peter Andrew Comensoli.

Ramirez and Nguyen will join three other auxiliary bishops Marti Ashe, Terence Robert Curtin and Anthony John Ireland in serving the 1.26 million Catholics living in Melbourne archdiocese, which covers the capital city of New South Wales.

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Ramirez, 55, has been serving since 2013 as the parish priest of St. Mel in Shepparton and Saint Malachy in Nagambie in neighboring Diocese of Sandhurst.

Born in Gapan City, Nueva Ecija, in March 1969, Ramirez entered the congregation of the Rogationist Fathers of the Heart of Jesus after his primary and secondary studies.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Adamson University in Manila and master’s degree in education management from De La Salle University-Dasmariñas in Cavite. —Jerome Aning