Pope Leo appoints parish priest as new Kalibo bishopMANILA, Philippines — Pope Leo XIV has named a parish priest as the new bishop of the Diocese of Kalibo. In a press release issued by the Holy See Press Office on Sunday, January 25 (Manila time), it said that the pope appointed Cyril Buhayan Villareal, 51, as the bishop of Kalibo. Villareal will succeed Bishop Jose Corazon Tala-oc, who retired in June 2025. He later attended the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, where he earned his licentiate in theology, and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Capiz on March 25, 2001. Before his appointment, he was the parish priest of Saint Thomas of Villanova in Dao under the Diocese of Capiz.

Source: Philippine Star January 25, 2026 03:33 UTC