Pope Francis names Filipino priest as ecclesiastical superior in Tuvalu

Pope Francis has appointed Reverend Fr. Eliseo Napiere, a Bohol-born priest based in the United States, as an ecclesiastical superior in the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu.

According to the Holy See Press Office on Monday, Napiere will be serving as head of the "Missio sui iuris" or an independent mission in Funafati, which sits in the west-central portion of the Pacific Ocean.

Prior to his appointment, Napiere was a member of the Presbyteral Council and the parish priest of Saint James the Less in Perris in the diocese of San Bernardino, California.

During his service in the Philippines, Napiere served as the parish vicar of the Blessed Sacrament Parish in Cebu City from 1991 to 1992, and the scholastic director and procurator of the Fil-Mission Seminary in Tagaytay City from 1992 to 1994.

He also held several parish positions in Taiwan and the United States.

Napiere was ordained as a priest on Jan. 19, 1991. — VDV, GMA Integrated News