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MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews / 30 June) — Pope Francis on Tuesday appointed Monsignor Noel P. Pedregosa as the new bishop of the Diocese of Malaybalay, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) announced on its website on the same day.
Pedregosa has served as diocesan administrator until his appointment, which was announced in Rome at 12 noon (6:00 p.m. Philippine time).
In Manila, the appointment was announced by Papal Nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown before the Mass for the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul at the Manila Cathedral, the CBCP news site said.
Malaybalay diocese has been without a bishop since August last year after Pedregosa’s predecessor, Bishop Jose A. Cabantan, was appointed as Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro.
The Diocese of Malaybalay covers the whole Bukidnon province and Wao town in Lanao del Sur.
Pedregosa, 56, was ordained a priest in 1991.
Since 2017, he has been vicar general of the diocese and rector of the Malaybalay Cathedral.
“We promise him the support of our prayers as he begins his mission in Bukidnon,” the CBCP news site quoted Brown as having said.