MANILA — Pope Francis has chosen Bishop Ruperto Santos as the new bishop of the Diocese of Antipolo.
The Vatican made the announcement on Wednesday.
Santos is the present bishop of the Diocese of Balanga in Bataan.
The pope made the decision after incumbent Antipolo Bishop Francisco De Leon reached the mandatory retirement age of 75.
Santos was born on October 30, 1957 in San Rafael, Bulacan.
He was ordained a priest in 1983 for the Archdiocese of Manila where he served as deputy parish priest of the Immaculate Conception Parish and chaplain of the Pasic Catholic College, and parish priest in Maybugna.
He earned his licentiate in history from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and became a professor of Church history at the San Carlos Seminary in Manila.
He also served as superior and rector of the Pontifical Filipino College in Rome.
In 2010, he was appointed bishop of Balanga and received episcopal consecration.
As a member of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, he is the regional representative in the Permanent Council, chairman of the Commission for the Pontifical Filipino College, and vice-chairman of the commission for the pastoral care of migrants and itinerant people.
As of writing, there is no date yet for Santos' installation as Antipolo's new bishop.
The Diocese of Antipolo is home to the much-revered image of the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage. The cathedral was recently declared as an international shrine.
The diocese covers the city of Marikina and the province of Rizal and is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Manila.
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