Catholic Bishops Conference of Oceania President, Bishop Anthony Randazzo, has welcomed the election of Bishop Ryan Pagente Jimenez as president of the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific, known as CEPAC.
“I would like to congratulate Bishop Ryan Pagente Jimenez of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa on his recent election as president of the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific,” said Bishop Randazzo.
Bishop Ryan has been Bishop of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa in the Northern Mariana Islands since 2016. Prior to that he was Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese for six years.
“As president of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conference of Oceania, I have had the opportunity to work alongside Bishop Ryan who is also a member of the FCBCO executive council,” said Bishop Randazzo.
“I very much look forward to deepening our collegial partnership and friendship through his new role.
“In October I was fortunate to be with the outgoing CEPAC president, Bishop Paul Donoghue, when we attended the Synod for a Synodal Church in Rome. Bishop Paul is the Bishop of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands.
“I also join in thanking him for his service as CEPAC president in recent years and wish him well in his Diocese.”
The Episcopal Conference of the Pacific was established in 1968. It covers vast expanses of the northwestern Pacific Ocean including Guam, Fiji, New Caledonia, Samoa, Vanuatu, French Polynesia and Tonga.
The conference is part of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conference of Oceania, of which Bishop Randazzo is president. The Federation also includes the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference and the Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.