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DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/02 May) – The Prelature of Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay is now a Diocese.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website announced on May 1 that Pope Benedict XVI elevated the Prelature of Ipil to a full diocese on Saturday, with its Ipil Bishop Julius Tonel as its first bishop.
Ipil, a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Zamboanga, is the 11th diocese in Mindanao and the 58th in the entire country, the CBCP website said.
It has a population of nearly 600, 000 of which 65 percent are Catholics.
The new diocese has 19 parishes, 32 priests and 31 religious sisters. (MindaNews)