Retired Archbishop Fernando Capalla, who led the Archdiocese of Davao for more than 15 years, passed away on Saturday.
The archbishop died at 1:38 a.m. in the city of Davao at the age of 89.
The news of his death was conveyed by the current archbishop of Davao, Romulo Valles, to the secretariat of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
Capalla, a known peace advocate in Mindanao, served as the president of the CBCP from 2003 to 2005.
His death occurred merely four days after another bishop, Ronald Lunas of the Diocese of Pagadian, passed away in a Davao hospital due to complications from a recent heart bypass surgery.
Ordained a priest for the Jaro Archdiocese in 1961, Capalla was appointed auxiliary bishop of Davao in April 1975, at the age of 40, and consecrated as a bishop in June of the same year.
In 1977, he was designated prelate of the Prelature of Iligan. He became Iligan’s first bishop when Pope John Paul II elevated it to a diocese in 1982.
He also served as the apostolic administrator of Marawi from 1987 to 1991 while the prelature awaited a new shepherd.
In 1994, Capalla was appointed coadjutor archbishop of Davao. He assumed the role of Davao archbishop in November 1996 and served until his retirement in February 2012.
In the CBCP, he also led its various departments such as the Episcopal Commission on Interreligious Dialogue and Episcopal Commission on Ecumenical Affairs.
Capalla is also the founding father of the Bishops-Ulama Conference, an interreligious organization aimed at fostering understanding between Muslims and Christians.
His efforts in interfaith dialogue earned him several awards, including the San Lorenzo Ruiz Award for Peace and Unity in 1991, Ateneo de Manila University’s Public Service Award for Peace in 1998, and the Aurora Aragon Quezon Peace Award for Peace Advocacy and Peace Building in 2000.