Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Jose Advincula of Capiz as the new archbishop of Manila. The appointment was made public in Rome at 12 noon (7:00 p.m. in Manila) on Thursday, the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord. Advincula will succeed Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in the Vatican. The archdiocese has been without an archbishop since Tagle left for Rome in February 2020. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines congratulated Advincula on his appointment as the 33rd archbishop of Manila. “We wish the archbishop-elect God’s abundant blessing in his…

  Tributes poured in for a “courageous prophet” who braved threats and harassment in fighting the social ills in the country. Archbishop Oscar Cruz did not aim to overhaul society when he embarked a crusade against gambling in early 2000. His goal was to awaken the people to their exploitation by the gambling lords and their protectors in government. Those who knew him have nothing but praises after he died in a hospital due to complications from the coronavirus disease on Aug. 26. Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan said his predecessor was “a faithful shepherd” and “a patriot and pastor”….

A Catholic bishop has called on the public to unite against the passage of a new anti-terrorism measure which he branded as “vague”. Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos has warned that no one is exempted from its “dangerous” provisions even church people. “It is high time that citizens and members of civil society organizations set aside their differences to combat the passage of this bill,” Alminaza said. “Now more than ever, we need the power of dissenting voices in the current state of political and public health in our country,” he said. While the fight against terrorism is legitimate…