Priest named new Tagbilaran bishop declines position

MANILA, Philippines — A priest recently tapped to be the new bishop of the Diocese of Tagbilaran has announced his decision not to accept the post. 

Fr. Gerardo Saco, currently the diocese administrator, was selected by Pope Leo XIV as the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Tagbilaran last month. 

Saco announced in a statement Tuesday, May 5, that he will not be going through with his episcopal ordination scheduled on May 26, 2026 after a “change of heart.”

“I sincerely ask for your understanding regarding this change of heart. It comes from a deep awareness of my own human limitations and inadequacies,” Saco wrote.

The Tagbilaran diocese administrator added: “Please be assured of my continued commitment as a priest, to journey with you in faith in the Risen Lord, who never abandons us in moments of trial and need.” 
  
Saco’s decision has been forwarded to and accepted by Pope Leo XIV, according to a statement by Cebu Archbishop Abet Uy, who was previously Bishop of Tagbilaran. 

“The Papal Nuncio has informed me that the Holy Father has accepted his decision. This development has brought sadness to many of us, especially the faithful of the Diocese of Tagbilaran,” he wrote. 

“Nevertheless, we respect Fr. Saco's decision, trusting that it was made after deep and prayerful discernment,” Uy added.

This extend the eight-month vacancy in the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of Tagbilaran.

Uy departed as Bishop of Tagbilaran in September 2025 to assume his new role as the Archbishop of Cebu.