The Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan in the province of Oriental Mindoro has a new shepherd in the person of Bishop Moises Cuevas, the auxiliary of the Archdiocese of Zamboanga.

Pope Francis on Thursday appointed Cuevas to succeed Bishop Warlito Cajandig, who had held the post since 1989 until 2022.

In November 2022, the Vatican announced that the pope had “liberated” Cajandig from his office for health reasons.

When Cajandig, who is now 79 years old, suffered a stroke in 2018 and underwent brain surgery, the pontiff appointed an apostolic administrator to govern the vicariate in his place.

At 49, Cuevas remains the youngest Catholic prelate in the country.

Born in Batangas City, he was ordained a priest for the Zamboanga archdiocese in 2000. The pope appointed him as its auxiliary bishop in March 2020.

He is also currently serving as the apostolic administrator of the archdiocese, while awaiting the installation of its new archbishop, Julius Tonel, scheduled for August 22.