MANILA, Philippines – Pope Francis created a new diocese in the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao and appointed Ruben Labajo of Cebu as its first bishop, the Vatican announced on Tuesday, October 15.
The new Diocese of Prosperidad, which Labajo will lead, covers the province of Agusan del Sur. It is now the 87th Catholic diocese in the Philippines, the country with the world’s third biggest population of Catholics.
The Diocese of Prosperidad was carved out of the Diocese of Butuan, a 57-year-old Catholic territory, following a petition filed by Bishop Cosme Damian Almedilla in 2023. With the creation of the Diocese of Prosperidad, the Diocese of Butuan now covers only Agusan del Norte.
The diocese’s first bishop had been auxiliary bishop of Cebu, assisting Archbishop Jose Palma, since August 2022. He has been a priest since June 1995.
Labajo, 58, was born in Poblacion, Talisay City in Cebu. He studied philosophy and theology at Cebu’s San Carlos Major Seminary, according to his profile on the Vatican website.
The new Diocese of Prosperidad will be composed of 486,251 Catholics across 26 parishes, one quasi-parish, and three mission stations, according to the Vatican.
It will have 32 diocesan priests, 29 religious priests, 59 seminarians, two professed religious, and six sisters.
Bishop Almedilla of Butuan had previously said dividing the Diocese of Butuan was a “strategic move” to foster the faithful’s spiritual growth and improve efficiency of administration, according to the news service of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
He described Agusan del Sur, now under the Diocese of Prosperidad, as a “missionary frontier,” noting “the far-flung communities spread across the landlocked and mountainous province,” CBCP News reported. A third of its population belongs to indigenous communities, Almedilla said. – Rappler.com