Nearly two years later and still no sign of a new bishop

  Almost two years have passed since Bishop Tomas A. Camacho of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa resigned from his post but the Catholic community still cannot expect to have a new church leader anytime soon.

“I was told that it’s not going to happen soon. I was expecting that it happens soon because it will be two years in April this year that we don’t have a bishop,” said Fr. Ryan P. Jimenez in an interview after the proclamation signing of Catholic Schools Week at the Mount Carmel Cathedral’s Social Hall on Thursday.

Jimenez said this was the update he received during his trip to Italy before Christmas for the “ad limina visit” every five years-an obligation of residential diocesan bishops and certain prelates to meet with the pope and report on the state of their dioceses and prelatures.

Being the apostolic administrator for the diocese, Jimenez represented the Commonwealth in the visit that was also attended by 16 representatives from the Pacific region, which covers Guam, Caroline Islands, Chuuk, Yap, Palau, Pohnpei, Marshall Islands, Fiji, and American Samoa.

Jimenez took on his new role after Camacho’s resignation became official in April 2009. Camacho stepped down as the highest ranking prelate in the CNMI when he turned 75 on Sept. 18, 2008, based on the Canon Law that requires a diocesan bishop who reaches that age to offer his resignation to the Holy Father in Rome.

Jimenez noted, though, that there is no provision in the Roman Catholic Church as to how long a diocese can go without a bishop. “There is only a provision that says an apostolic administrator can maintain status quo while waiting for the process,” he added.

Jimenez described the selection of a new bishop as a “long process.” In the case of the CNMI, it begins with the apostolic delegate or nuncio, the pope’s representative based in New Zealand, who does all the “preliminaries” based on his study and consultation with Rome.

“He collates all the materials and at the end of his part, he will send his recommendations-the terna or the three names-to Rome. There’s an office in the Vatican called propaganda fidae that is responsible to go over the names, look at the background. From there, they will be the one to recommend to the Holy Father so the pope is the one [who will select among the three names],” explained Jimenez, adding that there are several names being considered for the position in the CNMI.

Jimenez, who said that the position can be filled by a priest coming from other islands in the Pacific region, emphasized that the process is done “in the spirit of prayer.”

“Unlike any other office in the secular world, we believe that this is truly the work of the Holy Spirit,” he said.

Jimenez, in his December visit to Italy, asked for a time frame as to when the selection process will conclude since he needed to make decisions and would want to know if he had to wait for the bishop to come in. “But basically I was told, do what you need to do and they won’t give a time frame.”

According to Jimenez, it’s not good for a church not to have a “real leader” so he tries to do what he can while he serves as apostolic administrator.

“It’s difficult because you’re in charge but really, you’re not.It’s a challenge not only for us priests and for me as the one in that position [apostolic administrator] but for the people as well,” he said.

Jimenez urged the Catholic faithful in the CNMI to “continue to wait patiently.”

“I think there must be a reason. God must have a message for all of us. Like anything in life, we’re not in control. God is in control.”

Jimenez added that when he had an audience with Pope Benedict XVI in December, the Holy Father asked him to tell the community “not to lose hope” and for the priests in the CNMI to continue their pastoral work while waiting for a new bishop.

Jimenez disclosed that all parishes say the prayer for the election of a new bishop every day before Mass, and he urged the community to pray more.

“It’s a matter of time. We don’t know whether it’s months or a year, hopefully not years. But I ask and request if the people can pray more. Continue to pray and hope that soon, there will be a bishop,” said Jimenez.