Pope appoints Fr. Ronald Timoner as Pagadian's new bishop

Pope Francis has appointed Fr. Ronald Anthony Parco Timoner as the new bishop of the Diocese of Pagadian in Zamboanga del Sur.

Timoner will succeed Bishop Ronald Lunas, who passed away on January 2, 2024, and he will lead a diocese with more than 1.3 million people, approximately 80% of whom are Catholic, spread across 26 parishes.

Born in Daet on August 13, 1971, Timoner studied philosophy at the Holy Rosary Major Seminary in Naga City and theology at the University of Santo Tomas Central Seminary in Manila.

He obtained a licentiate in theology from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome and was ordained as a priest for the Diocese of Daet on May 1, 1997.

Currently, Timoner serves as the parish priest of San Juan Bautista in Daet and has been diocesan administrator since 2014 before his appointment to Pagadian.

Timoner also served various roles within the Diocese of Daet, including chancellor, director of SPACFI-Socio-Pastoral Action Center Foundation, vicar general, and was appointed as archbishop of Caceres in 2024.