55-year old Monsignor Victor Masalles officially was instated as Bishop of Baní in the province of Peravia on Saturday, 11 February 2017. The ceremony took place at the Joaquín Sergio Inchastegui plaza in Baní.
Previously Masalles had served in the Roman Catholic Church in the Santo Domingo archdiocese as second in charge and was responsible for Televida Channel and other media of the Church and of an important parish in the Cuesta Hermosa neighborhood in northern Santo Domingo. He will now be responsible for the diocese of Bani, San Cristobal San Jose de Ocoa provinces.
Among others, attending the ceremony for the Roman Catholic Church were Holy See Nuncio Jude Thaddeus Okolo and for the Conference of the Dominican Episcopate Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez, the former Archbishop of Santo Domingo.
Attending the official ceremony were government ministers José Ramón Peralta and Education Minister Andrés Navarro.
In his first mass as bishop, Masalles said he would serve the poor, the simple and the humble. He spoke of his concern for crime and delinquency. He said one of his priorities is to defend the water sources in the diocese entrusted to him.
Masalles was appointed in December 2016. He had been a leading candidate to be named Archbishop of Santo Domingo. He had been ordained a priest on 7 July 1991. While born in Spain, he has lived most of his life in the Dominican Republic.
He is one of the Catholic Church’s most strong advocates against abortion in any form in the Dominican Republic.
Masalles’ predecessor, Monsignor Freddy Bretón, was recently promoted to be archbishop of the Archdiocese of Santiago.
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Hoy
13 February 2017
