MANILA — Pope Francis on Sunday, Dec. 29, appointed Bishop Roberto Mallari to fill the vacant diocese of Tarlac, transferring him from the San Jose diocese in Nueva Ecija province.
Mallari will be the fourth bishop of the 61-year-old diocese, succeeding the late Bishop Enrique Macaraeg, who passed away in October 2023.
The appointment was officially announced at noon in Rome, or 7 p.m. in the Philippines.
Mallari has led the Diocese of San Jose since July 2012.
Born in Masantol, Pampanga, he completed his major seminary formation at San Carlos Seminary in Makati City.
He also holds a master’s degree in spirituality from the Priests School for Asia in Tagaytay City and furthered his studies at the School for Priests in Florence, Italy.
Mallari was ordained priest for the Archdiocese of San Fernando on Nov. 27, 1982.
Following his ordination, Mallari served as spiritual director at the Mother of Good Counsel Seminary in Pampanga from 1983 to 1987 and from 1989 to 1994.
Before becoming a bishop, Mallari was executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines – Episcopal Commission on Family and Life (CBCP-ECFL) from 2000 to 2006.
On Jan. 14, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Mallari as auxiliary bishop of San Fernando, and he was ordained to the episcopate on March 27, 2006. He was named bishop of San Jose in May 2012.
As bishop of Tarlac, he will oversee a diocese with around 60 parishes and a Catholic population of more than 1.2 million.
Mallari has also served as vice chairman of the ECFL and chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education. He previously chaired the Office of Social Communications of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences. CBCP News
