Two of the country’s five cardinals will be among the bishops who will gather in Bohol next week for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ (CBCP) 130th Annual Retreat and Plenary Assembly.
According to Fr. Heraldin Laniba, chancellor of the Diocese of Tagbilaran, Cardinal Jose Advincula, the 33rd archbishop of Manila, and Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, the bishop of Caloocan, will join the weeklong event.
David, who is also the president of the CBCP, will lead the retreat and plenary held at the Bohol Tropics Resort from June 30 to July 4, 2025 and at the Bugnaw Si-e Resort in Anda from July 4 to July 7, 2025, respectively.
There are only three cardinals from the Philippines who remain active as bishops—Advincula, David and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who was recently appointed as the titular bishop of the Suburbicarian Diocese of Albano, one of the most important dioceses in Rome.
The other cardinals are Cardinal Orlando Quevedo, the archbishop emeritus of Cotabato, and Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, the archbishop emeritus of Manila.
Archbishop Charles John Brown, the apostolic nuncio to the Philippines of the Holy See, is also expected to attend the plenary assembly.
Laniba said around 85 bishops, including archbishops, from dioceses and archdioceses across the country will join the event.
Most of the bishops and other synodal delegates will arrive on June 30.
Earlier, Tagbilaran Bishop Alberto Uy, said welcoming the bishops of the country is both an honor and a blessing. He then asked the faithful to pray for the success of the said gathering.
“This is truly a moment of grace and a source of great honor for our province. Let us pray that this gathering of shepherds may bring about positive changes,” Bishop Uy told Radio Veritas.
The bishops will gather during the plenary assembly to pray and address pressing matters that impact the Church and the communities they serve.
Laniba said the bishops will also discuss the “Synod on Synodality,” which was an initiative of the late Pope Francis as a way to make the Church more inclusive and transparent. (RT)
