Metropolitan Jaro Denomination Roman Catholic Area 2,019 km² Schools 32 | Parishes 70 Cathedral San Sebastian Cathedral | |
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Territory 3rd and 4th Congressional District of Negros Occidental, Lone Congressional District of Bacolod and Municipality of Hinigaran Population- Total- Catholics (as of 2012)1,474,0001,211,000 (82.2%%) Ecclesiastical province Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro | ||
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bacolod is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Negros Occidental, Philippines.
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History
One of the older dioceses in the Philippines, the Diocese of Bacolod was erected on 15 July 1932 from the territories of the Archdiocese of Cebu and the Archdiocese of Jaro.
On 5 April 1955, the Diocese of Bacolod lost territory when the Diocese of Dumaguete (which the diocese covers the entire province of Negros Oriental) was erected. The diocese further lost territory in the entire parts of Negros Occidental province on 30 March 1987 when the Diocese of Kabankalan and the Diocese of San Carlos were erected.
The Diocese of Bacolod actively opposed the passage of Reproductive Health Bill of 2012, organizing rallies against it. Prior to the 2013 elections to the Philippines Senate posters were put up at parish churche that identified the senators who voted for and against passage of the bill as Team Patay (or death) and Team Buhay (or life), respectively, in reference to Team PNoy, the senatorial slate of Philippine President Noynoy Aquino. The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) tried to have these posters removed, or at the least reduced in size. The Philippine Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order stopping COMELEC from forcing the removal of the posters.
Organization
The Diocese of Bacolod is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Jaro.
The current bishop is Patricio Abella Buzon, SDB, appointed on 24 May 2016. He was installed on August 9, 2016.
The seat of the diocese is the San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod (one of 12 cathedrals founded by the Order of Augustinian Recollects in the Philippines) with the San Diego Pro-cathedral in Silay as the diocese's pro-cathedral.