CBCP appoints first lay communications officer

For the first time, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) communications arm will be led by a lay person, the CBCP News reported.

Edwin Lopez, 65, has been appointed executive secretary of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Social Communications (ECSC).

He succeeds Fr. Ildefonso “Ilde” Dimaano, who in turn was appointed spokesperson of CBCP President Archbishop Gilbert Garcera of Lipa.

Lopez will be working with CBCP-ECSC Chairman Archbishop Rex Andrew Alarcon of Caceres and serve as "chief operating and coordinating officer, translating the bishops’ pastoral vision into concrete programs and initiatives."

He will also "oversee program implementation, coordinate communications efforts and serve as the commission’s technical and administrative officer."

CBCP News also reported that Lopez TV Maria board member and a professor in the philosophy and theology department of San Carlos Seminary in Makati City.

"He holds postgraduate degrees in business administration, international management and development communication, and has completed doctoral units in commerce," the report stated. — BAP, GMA Integrated News