Pope Francis has appointed San Jose De Antique Bishop Jose Romeo Lazo as new Jaro archbishop following the resignation of Angel Lagdameo, who was Jaro’s archbishop since 2000.
The Pope announced on Thursday that he was accepting Lagdameo’s resignation.
Lagdameo was Jaro’s archbishop since 2000 and is also a former president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.
“Archbishop Lagdameo is 77, exceeding for two years the age at which the Canon Law requires bishops to turn their resignation to the Pope,” the CBCP stated in a report posted in its official website.
After accepting his resignation, the Pontiff immediately appointed Lazo as the incoming archbishop of Jaro.
“Archbishop-elect Lazo, who just turned 69 last month, will be the 13th archbishop of one of the largest archdioceses in the country with more than three million Catholic population,” the CBCPNews said.
Lazo was born on January 23, 1949 in San Jose Buenavista, Antique and was ordained a priest on April 1, 1975.
On November 15, 2003, Pope John Paul II appointed him bishop of Kalibo.
Six years later, Pope Benedict XVI named him as the fourth bishop of San Jose de Antique.
In Jaro, Lazo is set to oversee the archdiocese, which covers the civil province and city of Iloilo and the province of Guimaras.
He will also serve as metropolitan bishop of the suffragan dioceses within the Ecclesiastical Province of Jaro, which includes the Dioceses of Bacolod, San Jose de Antique, San Carlos, and Kabankalan.
But while Lazo has yet to assume his new post, Pope Francis has directed Lagdameo to stay for a while at the archdiocese.
“The Pontiff has named Lagdameo as Apostolic Administrator ‘sede vacante’ of the archdiocese until Bishop Lazo takes canonical possession,” the CBCPNews stated.