Pope appoints 2 Pinoy priests as bishops

MANILA, Philippines — Two Filipino priests have been appointed as bishops in the United States and in the South Pacific.

Fr. Efren Esmilla, who was born in Laguna, was among the three priests appointed by Pope Francis to become auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, according to the news service of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

Esmilla was “greatly humbled and honored” by his appointment, and said he hopes the archdiocese will “continue to grow spiritually and to grow in the number of souls as we all strive to be better missionary disciples of Jesus Christ in the world around us.”

Meanwhile, the pontiff also named Fr. Reynaldo Bunyi Getalado, who hails from Muntinlupa City and is a member of the Missionary Society of the Philippines, as new coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands.

Getalado will replace Bishop Paul Patrick Donoghue who will reach the mandatory retirement age of 75 in January next year.

Before his appointment, Getalado was a missionary to the Mission Sui Iuris of Funafuti, the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu, according to earlier reports.