Catholic Church

Pope Francis promotes outspoken Bishop Pabillo, moves him to Palawan

Paterno Esmaquel II

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Pope Francis promotes outspoken Bishop Pabillo, moves him to Palawan

NEW ROLE. Bishop Broderick Pabillo, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Manila, presides over the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper at the Manila Cathedral on Maundy Thursday, April 1, 2021.

Angie de SIlva/Rappler

(1st UPDATE) Bishop Broderick Pabillo, one of the most courageous voices against President Rodrigo Duterte, is set to lead the Catholic Church in northern Palawan

Pope Francis on Tuesday, June 29, promoted the outspoken Bishop Broderick Pabillo of Manila, and made him head of the Catholic Church in northern Palawan.

Pabillo is set to be the new apostolic vicar, or the main bishop in charge, of the Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay, Palawan. The Vatican made public the appointment of Pabillo at 6 pm (Manila time) on Tuesday, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, according to the Manila Cathedral.

The Vatican announced this five days after Pabillo ended his stint as temporary head or apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Manila, following the installation of the low-profile Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula.

Pabillo thanked the Pope for this new appointment in a speech at the end of a Mass for the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul at the Manila Cathedral on Tuesday.

He said the Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay, barely 19 years old, is one of the youngest territories linked to the Manila archdiocese. It is also “one of the poorest in terms of material resources,” and one of the most challenging, as reaching communities entails “crossing mountains and seas.”

“I thank the Holy Father that in the near-twilight of my life, I am still given a chance to work in a mission territory and to live poor among the poor – the fisherfolk, the subsistence farmers, and the indigenous peoples. It will be a totally different engagement from what I have been doing in these 15 years in the Archdiocese of Manila,” Pabillo said.

A first for Pabillo

The archbishop of Manila, in turn, congratulated Pabillo on his new appointment. “Bishop Broderick, you deserve to be given such ministry after a job well done as auxiliary bishop and past apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Manila,” Advincula said.

“The long applause intended for you in this cathedral last June 24, and even this evening, was not only a confirmation of everyone’s appreciation for your sacrifice and for managing with compassion and wisdom our archdiocese for 16 months, but also an affirmation of your capability to lead and guide a diocese or an apostolic vicariate after the example of Jesus, our Good Shepherd,” the Manila archbishop added.

This is the first time Pabillo, 66, is heading the equivalent of a diocese. An apostolic vicariate is a Catholic territory established in far-flung mission areas of the Catholic Church.

Pabillo had been auxiliary bishop, or assistant of the archbishop, at the Archdiocese of Manila since 2006.

For 15 years, Pabillo served under two Manila archbishops, Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, balancing his archbishops’ politically mellow approach with his activism. Pabillo was known to attend rallies and release statements critical of the government, from Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to Benigno Aquino III to Rodrigo Duterte.

This appointment brings Pabillo closer to his advocacy – serving the poorest communities – but moves him away from the nation’s capital, where he is one of the most courageous voices against Duterte. Widely accessible to the media, Pabillo is a vocal critic of Duterte’s war on drugs and other authoritarian policies. – Rappler.com

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Paterno Esmaquel II

Paterno R. Esmaquel II, news editor of Rappler, specializes in covering religion and foreign affairs. He obtained his MA Journalism degree from Ateneo and later finished MSc Asian Studies (Religions in Plural Societies) at RSIS, Singapore. For story ideas or feedback, email him at pat.esmaquel@rappler.com.