Pope Francis appoints new Malolos bishop

Bishop Dennis Villarojo PHOTO BY VATICAN NEWS

Pope Francis has given Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Dennis Villarojo a new assignment in Luzon, particularly the Malolos Diocese, according to a post on the Vatican News Facebook page.

The announcement was made on Tuesday by the Apostolic Nunciature to the CBCP.

Villarojo, 52, will be the fifth bishop of Malolos and will be succeeding Bishop Jose Oliveros who died at the age of 71 in May 2018.

A Cebuano, Villarojo finished philosophy at San Carlos College Seminary of Cebu and theology at the University of Sto. Tomas.

He was ordained a priest on June 10, 1994 and served as the the personal secretary of the late Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, who was then the Archbishop of Cebu.

Villarojo also studied at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome from 1998 to 2001 where he obtained a doctorate in Philosophy.

He returned to Cebu and continued his work as secretary to Cardinal Vidal, then he was appointed as parish priest at the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish church.

In 2015, the Vatican appointed him as General Secretary of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress held in Cebu in January 2016.

He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Cebu in the same year. — BAP, GMA News