Pope appoints new Cabanatuan bishop

Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Prudencio Andaya Jr. of the Apostolic Vicariate of Tabuk as the new bishop of Cabanatuan in Nueva Ecija province.

The 65-year-old Andaya will succeed Bishop Sofronio Bancud, whose resignation was accepted by the Pope on Dec. 8, when he turned 76, according to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

Andaya will be the sixth bishop of the Cabanatuan diocese, which covers the southern part of Nueva Ecija province.

Born in Lubuagan, a town in the northern province of Kalinga, he was ordained in 1986 for the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM).

After his ordination, he was sent to Zambia, where he worked in various roles for 11 years.

In 1998, he returned to the Philippines to serve as Socius and Novice Master at CICM Novitiate in Taytay, Rizal, before becoming bishop of Tabuk in 2003. —DEXTER CABALZA