Catholic priest Father Bryand Restituto of the Archdiocese of Palo has been appointed as the new assistant secretary general of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
Based on the CBCP News website, Restituto was "formally introduced to the bishops on July 9, the first of their three-day plenary assembly at the Carmelite Missionaries Center of Spirituality in Tagaytay City."
It reported that Restituto will work with CBCP Secretary General Msgr. Bernardo Pantin.
The 43-year-old priest will replace Fr. Carlo Del Rosario of the Archdiocese of Manila, who has served as CBCP assistant secretary general since December 2020, the CBCP said.
"Fr. Del Rosario is pursuing doctoral studies in canon law at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, also known as the Angelicum, in Rome," it noted.
Restituto was born in Ormoc City, Leyte. He studied philosophy at the Sacred Heart Seminary (SHS) and theology at the St. John the Evangelist School of Theology (SJEST), both in Palo town. In September 2005, he was ordained priest and then served as parochial vicar at the Palo Cathedral, the CBCP said.
“In 2006, he was sent to Spain where he obtained a licentiate and doctorate in canon law at the University of Navarra. Upon his return to Leyte in 2011, Fr. Restituto was named as the archdiocese’s assistant chancellor, while also serving as administrator of the St. Joachim Parish in Palo," the CBCP said.
He also holds a Master’s degree in philosophical research, which he obtained at the De la Salle University in Manila in 2014, the CBCP said.
"Since 2021, he has been serving as associate judge at the Archdiocesan Marriage Tribunal and Judicial Vicar of the archdiocese," it added.