Fr. Gerardo Saco Jr., who had been named bishop of Tagbilaran, announced he would not proceed with his ordination scheduled for May 26, leaving the diocese without a bishop months after its last prelate was transferred.

“After much prayer and careful discernment, I humbly inform the faithful of the Diocese of Tagbilaran of my decision not to proceed with my Episcopal Ordination scheduled on May 26, 2026,” Saco said.

He described the move as a “change of heart” and asked for understanding from the faithful. “It comes from a deep awareness of my own human limitations and inadequacies” .

The Diocese of Tagbilaran, located in Bohol province in the central Philippines, has been without a bishop since September 2025, when Archbishop Alberto Uy of Cebu was transferred to his current post. Saco had been serving as diocesan administrator at the time of his appointment.

In a separate statement, Archbishop Alberto Uy of Cebu confirmed that the Vatican had accepted Saco’s decision.  “Bishop-elect Gerardo ‘Jingboy’ Saco Jr. has communicated to the Holy Father his decision not to proceed with his episcopal ordination. The Papal Nuncio has informed that the Holy Father has accepted his decision,” Uy said. He acknowledged the response of the local Church, saying the development “has brought sadness to many of us, especially the faithful of the Diocese of Tagbilaran.”

Saco said he would continue his ministry as a priest. “Please be assured of my continued commitment as a priest, to journey with you in faith in the Risen Lord, who never abandons us in moments of trial and need,” he said.

Thailand’s Catholic bishops are reshaping the way future priests are formed by investing in the training of seminary formators, emphasizing accompaniment, emotional maturity, and pastoral leadership in response to the challenges of a rapidly changing world.

The renewed approach marks a shift away from formation models focussed primarily on academics and discipline toward a more holistic framework rooted in the Vatican’s 2016 document, Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis. 

Church leaders in Thailand said formators must be prepared to guide seminarians through changing social realities, digital culture, and the demands of transparent and accountable ministry while deepening their own spiritual and human formation.

Central to the approach is the call for formators to become true spiritual guides who understand the personal journeys of seminarians and accompany them in their vocation. Church leaders also stressed that formators themselves must undergo ongoing conversion, continually deepening their human and spiritual maturity. The renewed vision was reflected in a recent training course held at Baan Phu Waan, west of Bangkok.

Organized by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand, the program brought together formators from diocesan seminaries and religious congregations, including participants from Dominic Savio Seminary. The course was directed, and focused on strengthening four essential dimensions of formation: human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral.

A distinctive feature of the program was its use of the See–Judge–Act method, a pastoral approach developed by Belgian Cardinal Joseph Cardijn and widely used in Catholic social teaching. The method encourages participants to engage reality through observation, reflection, and concrete action. It begins with examining real-life situations and their underlying causes, followed by reflection in the light of Scripture and Church teaching, before leading to responses aimed at promoting justice and transformation.

South Korea’s Catholic medical network has launched the country’s first hospital AI ethics charter, with Church leaders insisting that artificial intelligence must never replace human compassion and responsibility in caring for the sick.

The Catholic Medical Center (CMC), one of the country’s largest Catholic healthcare systems, formally unveiled its “Medical AI Ethics Charter” during the “CMC Ethical AI Transformation Symposium” held May 7 at the Catholic University of Korea in Seoul.

The charter outlines four core principles and 12 implementation guidelines centered on human dignity, medical accountability, data ethics, social justice, and ecological responsibility. Its provisions include commitments to ensure that artificial intelligence strengthens rather than replaces relationships between patients and healthcare workers that medical personnel remain ultimately responsible for treatment decisions, and that patient privacy and fairness are protected. Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick attended the symposium alongside Archbishop Giovanni Gaspari, government officials, healthcare executives, and academic leaders.

In his address, Archbishop Chung said healthcare must remain rooted in human relationships despite rapid technological advances. “The essence of healthcare is not the transmission of knowledge, but a ‘human relationship’ in which life recognizes and respects another life,”

He warned that while machines may assist healthcare workers, they cannot replace human accompaniment and compassion. “Machines can analyze

 suffering, but they cannot accompany us in the face of that suffering,” he said, stressing that such accompaniment “must remain a human responsibility.”

The archbishop also expressed hope that even in an AI-driven medical environment, patients would continue to encounter compassion through healthcare workers. “Even on the day when artificial intelligence becomes fully integrated into medical practice, I pray that those who suffer may still feel, through healthcare workers and by their side, that they are loved by God,”

The ordination of the 46-year-old paediatrician drew attention not only because of his unusual background, but also because it reflected a lifelong path shaped by service, faith, and quiet discernment. Priests with medical backgrounds remain rare in Indonesia, placing Fr. Yandis among a small number of Catholic clergy and religious who once pursued careers in medicine before entering Church ministry. His journey bridges two worlds often associated with healing: medicine and pastoral care.

Before entering seminary formation, Fr. Yandis worked at several hospitals, including Borromeus Hospital and St. Yusup Hospital in Bandung. Patients and colleagues knew him as a paediatrician. Within Church circles, however, signs of a possible vocation had long been noticed.

Born and raised in Jakarta, Fr. Yandis came from St. Anna Church in Duren Sawit Parish, East Jakarta. After graduating from high school, he enrolled at the Faculty of Medicine of Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia, where he studied from 1998 to 2005. He later specialized in paediatrics at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila from 2008 to 2018 before completing an equivalency program at Padjadjaran University in Bandung, West Java.

Even while immersed in medicine, Church life remained part of his daily rhythm. From a young age, he served as an altar server and remained active in pastoral activities. During his formation as a diocesan priest candidate in the Diocese of Bandung, he carried out pastoral work at the “Sahabat” tutoring centre from 2016 to 2018 and later became an altar server mentor at St. Paul Church in Toha Parish, Bandung, from 2019 to 2020. Following his ordination by Bishop Antonius Subianto Bunjamin of Bandung, the newly ordained priest was assigned to St. Mary Parish Church in Cirebon for his first pastoral ministry.

His story now adds another chapter to the little-known history of Indonesian clergy and religious with medical backgrounds. For Fr. Yandis, the journey from physician to priest reflects two vocations rooted in the same mission: caring for human life.

The UN Secretary‑General has warned that the escalating crisis in the Strait of Hormuz could push tens of millions of people into poverty, drive a sharp rise in global hunger and potentially tip the world toward recession.

The escalating crisis in the Strait of Hormuz could push tens of millions of people into poverty, drive a sharp rise in global hunger and potentially tip the world toward recession, the UN Secretary‑General warned. Antionio Guterres said restrictions on free passage through the strategic waterway are impeding the delivery of oil, gas, fertilizer and other critical commodities, tightening pressure on an already fragile global economy.

According to UN projections, even an immediate end to shipping and trade disruptions would leave supply chains struggling for months. 

Global growth would fall from 3.4% to 3.1%, inflation would rise to 4.4% and trade would slow sharply, adding strain to economies still recovering from the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

The head of UN Project Services is leading a task force exploring a possible humanitarian corridor, while the International Maritime Organization is developing plans to evacuate ships and crews if safe passage can be secured.

The consequences worsen significantly if Iranian attacks, threats and the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports continue through midyear. 

UN estimates show 32 million people could be pushed into poverty, fertilizer shortages would reduce crop yields, 45 million more people would face extreme hunger and years of development gains could be erased.

A worst‑case scenario — with severe disruptions lasting through the end of the year — raises the risk of a global recession with far‑reaching economic, political and social impacts. The UN chief said the effects of the crisis are accelerating, not accumulating, and warned that prolonged restrictions will make the damage harder to reverse. He urged all parties to restore navigational rights and reopen the strait to stabilize global supply lines.