Priest 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 and inadequacies,” Saco said.

His decision comes more than a month after Pope Leo XIV appointed him to lead the Tagbilaran diocese, which has been without a bishop since Archbishop Alberto Uy was transferred to Cebu in September 2025.

Saco had been serving as diocesan administrator at the time of his appointment and was scheduled for episcopal ordination and installation on May 26.

“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,” he said.

Uy said the Vatican had accepted Saco’s decision after it was communicated to Pope Leo XIV through the papal nuncio.

“This development has brought sadness to many of us, especially the faithful of the Diocese of Tagbilaran,” the archbishop said.

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

Uy assured Saco of continued prayers and expressed hope for the timely appointment of a new bishop.

The Diocese of Tagbilaran, a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Cebu, serves the southern half of Bohol province. (CBCP News)

A version of this article was first published by CBCP News.