Pope Francis has appointed a Thomasian cleric as bishop of the Diocese of Iba in Zambales.
Msgr. Bartolome Gaspar Santos will be succeeding Bishop Florentino Lavarias.
Santos, the vicar general of the Diocese of Malolos since 2013, attained his degrees in philosophy and theology in UST.
Born on Dec. 1, 1967 in Santa Maria, Bulacan, Santos attended the Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary of Malolos.
He was ordained priest for the Diocese of Malolos on Aug. 27, 1992.
Santos then served as a spiritual director, professor and rector of the Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary of Malolos.
In 1999, Santos obtained a licentiate in biblical theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
The 50-year-old bishop had been vicar in the San Pascual Baylon Parish of Obando, Bulacan and the San Isidro Labrador Parish in Pulilan, Bulacan.
He was also rector and moderator of the pastoral team of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Valenzuela City.
