Villareal appointed Capiz archdiocese administrator

Msgr. Cyril Villareal has been appointed administrator of the archdiocese of Capiz while Pope Francis has yet to name the replacement of Cardinal Jose F. Advincula who was installed as the 33rd Archbishop of Manila on June 24, 2021.

The Canon Law of the Catholic Church suggests that the college of consultors elects an administrator within eight days after the top archdiocese post becomes vacant or sede vacante.

“The diocesan administrator has greater powers, essentially those of a bishop except for matters excepted by the nature of the matter or expressly by law,” according to the Canon Law.

The Canon Law also subjects his activity to various legal restrictions and to special supervision by the college of consultors (as for example Canons 272 and 485).

The diocesan administrator remains in charge until a new bishop takes possession of the see or until he presents his resignation to the college of consultors.

According to Father Jose Arturo Emilio Arbatin of St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish in Mambusao, Capiz and concurrent spokesperson of the Archdiocese of Capiz, the process of selecting a bishop is not easy as this will undergo strict selection by the Apostolic Nuncio and the Pope.

Meanwhile, Advincula asked for prayers from the Catholic faithful following his installation as the new archbishop of Manila.

In his homily at the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Intramuros, Manila on June 24, Advincula prayed that Christ grant him the grace to be a listening shepherd to His flock.

“I am appealing for prayers, that I may have a heart after that of Christ our Good Shepherd — a listening shepherd to Christ’s bidding — ever ready to suffer for and serve Christ’s sheep,” he said.

Advincula, a native of Capiz province, turned emotional as he thanked the priests, consecrated persons and the laity of the Archdiocese of Capiz where he served for the past nine years.

“Thank you so much for teaching me to be a shepherd who listens,” Advincula said.

For 20 years of being a priest, he said he “tried to be a listening shepherd to you; yet, as you know well, there are still a lot that I should learn.”

“I am deeply aware how I fall short of people’s expectations of me, how unworthy and inadequate I am in many ways,” said Advincula, who also became Prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

Advincula also appealed to priests, consecrated persons and the laity of the archdiocese to be a listening shepherd and learn from one another how to listen after the heart of Christ.

“On the Day of Judgment, we are but Christ’s servants; and how blessed are we to have such an opportunity to serve Him in our respective capacities and ministries,” he added. “We are no more than Christ’s heralds and instruments.”

Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo, who administered the archdiocese until the installation of Advincula, said the appointment of the new archbishop was an answered prayer.

“Do not be afraid. We are ready, as always, to cooperate and collaborate with our shepherds. You are not in this alone,” Pabillo said.

More than 30 bishops and around 200 priests from all over the archdiocese, and some from Capiz, took part in the service.

Among those in attendance were retired Cardinals Gaudencio Rosales of Manila and Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato, and Papal nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown.