Pope Francis appoints seminary formator as new Novaliches bishop

Pope Francis has appointed a new bishop for the Diocese of Novaliches on Thursday, according to a post on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website.

After the Pontiff accepted the resignation of Bishop Antonio Tobias, he appointed Fr. Roberto Gaa of the Archdiocese of Manila to take his place.

His appointment was also announced by the Archdiocese of Manila, where he belongs.

Fifty-seven-year-old Gaa was ordained priest for the Manila archdiocese in 2000 and has been serving as Rector of the Holy Apostle Seminary (HASS) in Makati City.

Tobias, 77, has been Novaliches’ bishop since 2003. His resignation was in keeping with the provision of the Canon law, which is a set of guidelines followed by the Catholic hierarchy, bishops submit resign from their post when they turn 75.

The Novaliches diocese has about 2 million Catholics and 69 parishes located in the cities of Quezon and Caloocan.

Gaa, who will be the third bishop assigned to the said diocese, holds a licentiate in spirituality from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

In 2008, he became rector of the HASS and member of the presbyteral council of the archdiocese. — BAP, GMA News