Pope appoints new head of Tarlac diocese

Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Roberto Mallari to up the vacancy in the Diocese of Tarlac, according to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

Mallari, 66, will be the fourth bishop of the 61-year-old diocese, succeeding Bishop Enrique Macaraeg, who passed away in October 2023.

READ: Pope Francis appoints new Tarlac bishop

His appointment was officially announced by the Vatican at noon in Rome, or 7 p.m. on Sunday in Manila. Before his newest appointment, Mallari had led the Diocese of San Jose in Nueva Ecija province for more than 12 years since July 2012.

As the new head of Tarlac’s Catholic community, he will oversee a diocese composed of around 60 parishes and a Catholic population of more than 1.2 million.

Mallari was among the leaders of the Catholic Church who were critical of the war on drugs of former President Rodrigo Duterte, as well as the harassment and “Red-tagging” of Church workers who serve the poor.

Born in Masantol, Pampanga, he completed his major seminary formation at San Carlos Seminary in Makati City. He also holds a master’s degree in spirituality from the Priests School for Asia in Tagaytay City, and furthered his studies at the School for Priests in Florence, Italy. —DEXTER CABALZA