Vatican city: The Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan has been elevated to a diocese. Pope Leo XIV also appointed its current apostolic vicar, Moises Cuevas, 52, as its first bishop, according to an article posted on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) News website. It said the announcement was made at the Vatican on Wednesday at noon local time (7 p.m., Manila time).
According to Philippines News Agency, Cuevas has led the territory since September 2023 and is the youngest bishop in the Philippines. The new diocese comprises 41 parishes and operates three seminaries and 14 schools serving more than 11,000 students across the province. It also runs a home for the aged, the only such facility in the Mimaropa region, alongside various social and pastoral ministries.
The diocese has 60 diocesan priests, all native clergy, five Society of the Divine Word missionaries assisting in parishes, and 57 seminarians in formation. In July 2025, the CBCP agreed to endorse Cuevas' petition for the canonical elevation of Calapan to a diocese. The territory was established as the Apostolic Prefecture of Mindoro and remained so for 15 years before becoming an apostolic vicariate in 1951. The Vatican's approval comes as Calapan marks its 75th anniversary as an apostolic vicariate this year.
