Palma to step in as CBCP president

TANDAG Bishop Nereo Odchimar will officially hand over the presidency of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to his successor Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma this week.

The handover rites will take place today during the joint meeting of outgoing and incoming members of the CBCP Permanent Council at the CBCP Building in Intramuros, Manila.  The new CBCP officials, however, will officially assume their posts tomorrow, December 1.

“There will be a turnover of the documents and also of other pending matters,” Bishop Odchimar told reporters today.

He said he has no words of advice to Archbishop Palma, convinced that the latter would be able to successfully fulfill his new role as CBCP president.

“My successor is my present vice president, so he knows already the pending issues,” said Odchimar.

As to his plans, the Tandag prelate said he plans to concentrate on his diocese and perform his pastoral duties.

“I have to catch up. I left a lot of obligations and responsibilities in my diocese, such as the pastoral visitations. I have to visit the parishes and the barrios.”

Report from ucanews.com