Filipino Priest Backs Out of Ordination as Bishop, Cites ‘Human Limitations’
Saco cited personal limitations after prayerful discernment, ending plans for episcopal ordination and leaving the diocese to await a new bishop.
- On Tuesday, Father Gerardo Fortich Saco Jr. announced he will not proceed with his episcopal ordination scheduled for May 26, citing his "human limitations" and a change of heart.
- Saco, 60, had served as diocesan administrator since Oct. 4, 2025, after the former bishop was transferred to Cebu, leaving the Diocese of Tagbilaran without a permanent shepherd for nearly a year.
- Preparations for the May 26 ordination were well underway, including an official portrait and episcopal coat of arms; Saco even led the pontifical Mass on the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker on May 1.
- Cebu Archbishop Alberto Uy confirmed Pope Leo XIV has accepted Saco's withdrawal, while Bishop Crispin Varquez, slated as co-consecrator, stated, "I admire his humility."
- While priests privately declining appointments is normal, public withdrawals from episcopal posts are rare in recent history; Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet noted that 30 percent of chosen bishops reject the appointment.
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Filipino priest backs out of ordination as bishop, cites ‘human limitations’
MANILA, Philippines – Three weeks before his episcopal ordination, a Filipino priest backed out of his appointment as a Catholic bishop, citing his “human limitations” and surprising a diocese that has had no shepherd for nearly a year. Father Gerardo Fortich Saco Jr., 60, was supposed to be the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Tagbilaran, in the central Philippines, after his ordination and installation on May 26. But at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Saco …
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CBCPNewsPriest backs out of bishop role ahead of May ordination
A Catholic priest appointed to become bishop of Tagbilaran has announced he will not take up the post, citing personal limitations and discernment. Fr. Gerardo Saco Jr. said in a statement Tuesday he was asking for understanding for what he described as a “change of heart.” “It comes from a deep awareness of my own human limitations […] The post Priest backs out of bishop role ahead of May ordination appeared first on Interaksyon.
Bishop-elect of Tagbilaran withdraws from ordination
TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol— Bishop-elect Fr. Gerardo Fortich Saco Jr. has announced that he will no longer proceed with his episcopal ordination scheduled on May 26 this year, citing a “change of heart” after prayer and discernment. In an official statement on Tuesday, Saco said his decision came after “much prayer and careful discernment,” adding that it was rooted in a deep awareness of his “human limitations and inadequacies.” READ: Pope Leo XIV…
Filipino bishop-designate declines appointment weeks before ordination
TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines — Father Gerardo F. Saco Jr., the priest appointed by Pope Leo XIV to become the next bishop of the Diocese of Tagbilaran in the Philippines, has decided not to proceed with his episcopal ordination, a move that surprised many clergy and faithful in Bohol province and across the Philippine Church.In an official statement released by the Diocese of Tagbilaran on May 5, Saco said that after “much prayer and careful dis…
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