TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines- The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Monday, February 27, announced that Capuchin Bishop Joseph Nacua has resigned due to health reasons.
The Ilagan diocese said Pope Francis has accepted Nacua’s resignation on Saturday (Manila time), February 25.
Nacua has succumbed to stroke in 2015 but has since recovering and continued his duties as bishop. He later decided to resign.
Father Gregorio Uanan, Judicial Vicar of Ilagan diocese, said Nacua is slowly recovering but the stroke impacted on his mobility.
“We have a huge diocese and it’s hard for him already so he thought that it would be best for him to just retire,” Uanan said.
Nacua is the first Capuchin missionary in the country to be appointed bishop in June 2008, consequently, his appointment as Ilagan bishop. A Capuchin is an order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans.
Nacua served the Ilagan diocese, which has more than 1.2 million Catholic members, for almost nine years.
Bishop Prudencio Andaya of Kalinga province will sit as administrator of the diocese as they await for Nacua’s replacement.
Currently, according to the CBCP, six more dioceses in the country have no bishops aside from Ilagan: Daet, Bayombong, Iba, Isabela City, Kabankalan, and Mati. -Northernforum.net
