The Diocese of Tagbilaran is a Latin Catholic ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines, headquartered in Tagbilaran City. It is one of two dioceses in the province of Bohol, the other being the Diocese of Talibon. Both dioceses are suffragan to the Archdiocese of Cebu. The see is currently headed by its diocesan administrator, Gerardo Saco Jr.
History
The Diocese of Tagbilaran was created on November 8, 1941 and made a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Cebu by the apostolic constitution In sublimi Petri cathedra.[1] But due to the complications caused by World War II, its first bishop, Julio Rosales, a priest of the Diocese of Palo took possession of the diocese after his episcopal consecration five years after Tagbilaran's erection.
On January 9, 1986, the diocese lost half of its territory after Pope John Paul II created the Diocese of Talibon, with its seat in Talibon, a major town on the northern coast of the island.[2] The Diocese of Talibon absorbed half of the civil province of Bohol.
On March 25, 2026, Pope Leo XIV appointed Fr. Gerardo Saco Jr. who was then serving as the diocesan administrator, to become the 8th Bishop of Tagbilaran. His appointment followed a period of vacancy, after Bishop Alberto Uy was appointed as Archbishop of Cebu.
However, on May 5, 2026 less than a month before his scheduled episcopal ordination he announced that he would no longer proceed with the appointment. In an official statement, he cited a "change of heart" reached after a period of intense prayer and spiritual discernment adding that it was rooted in a deep awareness of his “human limitation and inadequacies.[3]
Bishops of Tagbilaran
| No. | Bishop | Period in office | Notes | Coat of arms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julio Rosales | June 22, 1946 – December 17, 1949 (3 years, 178 days) | Appointed Archbishop of Cebu | ||
| 2 | Manuel M. Mascariñas | November 12, 1951 – July 3, 1976 (24 years, 234 days) | Retired from office | ||
| 3 | Onesimo Cadiz Gordoncillo | July 3, 1976 – June 18, 1986 (9 years, 350 days) | Appointed Archbishop of Capiz | ||
| 4 | Felix S. Zafra | December 2, 1986 – April 21, 1992 (5 years, 141 days) | Retired from office | ||
| 5 | Leopoldo S. Tumulak | November 28, 1992 – January 15, 2005 (12 years, 48 days) | Appointed Military Ordinary of the Philippines | ||
| 6 | Leonardo Y. Medroso | December 14, 2006 – October 13, 2016 (9 years, 304 days) | Retired from office | ||
| 7 | Alberto S. Uy | January 6, 2017 – July 16, 2025 (8 years, 191 days) | Appointed Archbishop of Cebu | ||
| - | Gerardo F. Saco Jr.(Bishop-elect) | March 25, 2026 - May 5, 2026 (41 days) | Withdrew prior to ordination | ||
References
- 1.Pope Pius XII, Apostolic Constitution creating the Diocese of Tagbilaran In sublimi Petri cathedra (8 November 1941), Acta Apostolicae Sedis 34 (1942), 25-27. Ab archidioecesi Nominis Iesu, seu Cæbuana, territorii pars distrahitur , ex qua nova erigitur dioecesis «Tagbilarana » nuncupanda eidem archidioecesi Cæbuanæ suffraganea
- 2.Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Constitution creating the Diocese of Talibon Apostolica Sedes (9 January 1986), Acta Apostolicae Sedis 78 (1986), 593-595. Quibusdam locis a dioecesi Tagbilarana distractis nova conditur dioecesis nomine Talibonensis
- 3."Priest backs out of bishop role ahead of May ordination".