Pope Leo elevates Calapan to diocese, names first bishop
MANILA, Philippines — Pope Leo XIV has elevated the Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan to the rank of a diocese.
Along with this elevation, the pontiff has appointed Bishop Moises Magpantay Cuevas, who has served as the Vicar Apostolic of Calapan since 2023, as the inaugural bishop of the newly created diocese, according to a statement by the Vatican Press Office on Wednesday, March 25 (Manila time).
The new Diocese of Calapan will retain its existing name and territorial boundaries, covering the eastern portion of Mindoro Island.
Under this new ecclesiastical structure, the diocese becomes a suffragan of the Metropolitan See of Lipa.
Furthermore, the Holy Father has decreed that the jurisdiction will now be governed under “common law.”
The Diocese of Calapan, situated in the eastern part of Mindoro, spans about 4,238.38 square kilometers and serves a population of 908,339, including 735,754 Catholics.
According to data from the Holy See, the diocese consists of 23 parishes, 32 educational institutions, and one charitable institution, and is served by 63 diocesan priests, 17 religious priests, and 62 religious sisters, along with 57 seminarians.
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