New Davao archbishop named

Archbishop Romulo Valles PHOTO FROM CBCPONLINE.ORG

MANILA, Philippines—The Vatican has appointed Zamboanga Archbishop Romulo Valles as the new head of the archdiocese of Davao, according to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

Valles will replace 77-year-old Archbishop Fernando Capalla, whose resignation has been accepted by Pope Benedict XVI.

His appointment was announced on Saturday noon in the Vatican (7 p.m. in Manila) and by Papal Nuncio  to the Philippines Archbishop Guiseppe Pinto in Manila, according to CBCPNews, the official news service of the Philippine Church hierarchy.

But Capalla will continue to serve the Davao archdiocese as temporary administrator until a date has been scheduled for Valles’ canonical installation as the province’s new archbishop, said the CBCP media office.

Valles, 60, a native of Maribojoc, Bohol, has served the Zamboanga archdiocese for five years. The archdiocese covers the Prelature of Ipil and Isabela, Basilan and the Apostolic Vicariate of Jolo as its suffragans dioceses.—Jocelyn R. Uy