MANILA (UPDATE) - Pope Francis has appointed Capiz's Jose Fuerte Cardinal Advincula as the 33rd archbishop of Manila.

The appointment was made public on Thursday at 12 p.m., Rome time (7 p.m. in Manila).

It was in November last year when the pope elevated Advincula as a cardinal, becoming the ninth Filipino "prince of the Church."

He succeeds Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who is now the prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Tagle left the Philippines in 2019 to work in the Vatican as part of the pope's Cabinet.

• Tagle leaves for Rome as Manila archdiocese turns 'sede vacante'

Upon Tagle's departure, Pope Francis appointed Manila's auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo as the apostolic administrator or caretaker of the archdiocese pending the appointment of a new archbishop.

LOOK: The official bulletin from the Holy See announcing the appointment of Cardinal Jose Advincula as the new archbishop of Manila @ABSCBNNews pic.twitter.com/09u56uRNEG

— Erik Tenedero 🇵🇭🇰🇷🇹🇭 (@erikreports) March 25, 2021

Advincula, who is turning 69 this March 30, has been serving as the metropolitan archbishop of Capiz since 2012. Prior to this post, he also served as bishop of San Carlos for 10 years.

Born in Dumalag, Capiz, he entered the St. Pius X Seminary High School in Roxas City, where he also did his philosophical studies. He then took up theology courses at the University of Sto. Tomas in Manila.

He also studied psychology at the De La Salle University in Manila, and Canon Law both at UST and the Pontifical University of San Tommaso d'Aquino-Angelicum in Rome, where he obtained his licentiate in Canon Law, according to his curriculum vitae shared by the Holy See Press Office.

He was ordained into the priesthood on April 14, 1976.

Courtesy of the Manila Cathedral

Advincula will now lead what is considered as the primatial ecclesiastical seat in the Catholic Church in the Philippines. Its jurisdiction encompasses key cities in the capital region, including Manila, Makati, Pasay, Mandaluyong, and San Juan City.

The Archdiocese of Manila is also the ecclesiastical province of 9 suffragans, including the dioceses of Novaliches, Parañaque, Cubao, Caloocan, Pasig, Antipolo, Malolos, Imus, and San Pablo.

The archbishop of Manila is seen as an influential figure, like the late Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin, who was one of the key figures in the People Power Revolution in 1986 that led to the ouster of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Sr.

Advincula is expected to play a major role in the year-long celebration of the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines.

As of writing, there is still no announced date for his official installation as the archbishop of Manila.

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