The head of the Philippine Catholic bishops’ social communications ministry has been given a larger role in the Church across Asia.
The Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) announced Saturday the appointment of Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit of San Pablo as the new chairman of its Office of Social Communication.
Maralit will succeed Malaysian Cardinal Francis Sebastian of Penang, who resigned from the post late last year.
The FABC central committee confirmed Maralit’s appointment on March 12. His term started Jan. 1, 2025, and runs through December 2027. He is eligible for a second term.
Maralit, 55, is the chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Social Communications of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines since December 2019.
The Office on Social Communications is one of FABC’s key offices and collaborates with the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communications to promote Church teachings.
Among its other functions, it also oversees the management of Radio Veritas Asia, which is headquartered in Quezon City.
The FABC also named Chinese Father John Mi Shen of the Diocese of Zhaoxian as executive secretary of the office.
Mi Shen, 45, was coordinator for RVA’s Mandarin section from 2012 to 2018.
In 2024, he earned a doctorate in sacred theology with a major in social and pastoral communication from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.
Since August 2024, Mi Shen has served as program director of RVA.