CBCP head sets agenda on care for bishops, coordination

By Roy Lagarde/CBCP News

The new head of the Catholic hierarchy on Saturday set a two-year agenda focused on caring for bishops, strengthening coordination, care, deepening synodality.

Archbishop Gilbert Garcera, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, outlined his priorities at the opening of the 131st CBCP plenary assembly in Manila.

As his first priority, he stressed support for bishops themselves.

“Before tending the flock, we must care for the shepherds,” Garcera said, citing the need to care especially for retired bishops and guide newly ordained and “jubilee-year” bishops.

He also urged ongoing formation for bishops, especially on emerging concerns such as artificial intelligence and the defense of human dignity.

His second priority called for clearer roles for CBCP commissions.

Garcera said CBCP commissions exist to assist bishops that “do not act independently,” urging better communication and closer collaboration.

“In a truly synodal spirit, we seek clearer communication, shared direction, and closer collaboration, so that our programs genuinely respond to the pastoral needs of our dioceses,” he said.

The third priority, Garcera said, is advancing synodality, which he described as “not an event but a way of being Church.”

The bi-annual assembly gathered more than 97, including newly ordained bishops Dave Capucao of Infanta, Edwin Panergo of Boac and Samuel Agcaracar of San Jose in Nueva Ecija, who are attending the three-day meeting for the first time.

The assembly was preceded by a three-day bishops’ seminar on artificial intelligence, the implementation of synodality and a follow-up discussion on transparency and accountability.

On Jan. 22, an onboarding seminar for chairmen and executive secretaries of the CBCP’s various commissions, committees and offices was also held.

Garcera, who was elected CBCP president in July 2025, said he accepted the responsibility amid national challenges and growing demands on Church leadership.

The archbishop recalled surviving a severe COVID-19 illness and said his election felt like a renewed gift of life and service.

“With gratitude to the Good Shepherd, I accept this mandate to serve,” Garcera said, referring to both his archdiocese and the bishops’ conference.

He thanked fellow bishops for their trust and praised his predecessor, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, for “courageous and faithful leadership.”

Looking ahead to the 2028 ecclesial assembly in Rome and the Philippine presidential election the same year, Garcera said the Church must exercise “pastoral vigilance and moral clarity.”

“The presidency of the CBCP is not about one person, but about walking together in mission,” he said.