Pope Leo XIV has formally accepted the retirement of Diocese of Parañaque Bishop Jesse Mercado, who has reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 for Catholic bishops.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) reported that Papal Nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown shared the announcement during a Mass celebrating Mercado’s birthday at the San Agustin Parish Church in Parañaque City.
Archbishop Brown also revealed that the Holy Father has appointed Cubao Bishop Elias Ayuban Jr. as the apostolic administrator sede vacante of the Diocese of Parañaque. In this role, Bishop Ayuban will temporarily oversee the diocese until a permanent successor is named.
Mercado leaves behind a ministry spanning several decades. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Manila on March 19, 1977, and was appointed as its auxiliary bishop in 1997, the same year he was ordained to the episcopate.
In 2002, he was appointed as the pioneering bishop of the newly created Diocese of Parañaque, officially assuming leadership in early 2003.
Over the course of his career, Mercado held several vital positions within the CBCP, serving as the chairman of both the Episcopal Commission on the Laity and the Commission on Family and Life.
He also previously served as the rector of the Pontificio Collegio Filippino in Rome, an institution dedicated to training Filipino diocesan priests enrolled in pontifical universities.