Pope Francis has appointed Reverend Romeo Duetao Convocar as the new and third bishop of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. The Vatican announced the appointment on Saturday, November 25.
Father Convocar, a priest from Iloilo, Philippines, has been serving the Catholic Church for more than three decades.
He currently holds the role of clergy of the metropolitan archdiocese of Agaña, Guam and currently the parish priest of Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores in Tamuning, Guam.
He will succeed then-bishop Ryan Jimenez.
As the new shepherd of Chalan Kanoa, Convocar will oversee the spiritual and administrative needs of the diocese, which serves as the primary Catholic jurisdiction in the Northern Mariana Islands, where 41% of the population is Filipino.
The announcement was also made by former Manila archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle during the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa’s 40th anniversary celebration in Saipan.