Cosme Damian R. Almedilla (born September 27, 1959) is a Filipino Roman Catholic prelate who is currently serving as the Bishop of the Diocese of Butuan. He was appointed to the episcopacy by Pope Francis on March 25, 2019, succeeding the late Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos, as the third bishop of Butuan.
Early life and education Almedilla was born on September 27, 1959, in San Miguel, Bohol. He pursued his seminary formation at the St. John XXIII College Seminary in Malaybalay, Bukidnon, and subsequently his theological formation at the Loyola School of Theology, in Ateneo de Manila University.
Ministry
Priesthood Almedilla was ordained to the priesthood on August 4, 1987, by then-Talibon Bishop Christian Vicente Noel. Almedilla was then incardinated into the Diocese of Talibon after his ordination, serving as a priest in Ubay, before eventually holding seminary formator posts, and then becoming a parish priest at Baungon, Bukidnon, from 2000 to 2001.
Almedilla also served as a chaplain at the Asian Hospital and Medical Center in Muntinlupa City, where he provided pastoral care, counseling, and ministry to patients, families, and healthcare workers.
From 2015 to his elevation to the episcopacy in 2019, Almedilla served as the pastoral director of the Diocese of Talibon, and since 2017, served as the parish priest at the Holy Child Parish in Ubay, Bohol.
Episcopate Almedilla was appointed by Pope Francis as bishop of the Diocese of Butuan on March 25, 2019, succeeding Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos, who died in 2017. He was consecrated and took his canonical possession of the Butuan See on June 25, 2019, at Saint Joseph Cathedral in Butuan City.
He was principally consecrated by then-Cagayan de Oro ordinary and Diocese of Butuan Apostolic Administrator Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, with Bishops Jose Cabantan and Daniel Parcon acting as co-consecrators.
Almedilla, tracing his pastoral ministry rooted in community formation and involvement, has been a vocal advocate of the role of the family in living Catholic values, and on the protection of the environment.
In 2023, he formally sent a petition to the Holy See, requesting to partition the Diocese of Butuan, which then whose Ecclesiastical territory included Prosperidad. The request emphasizes the pastoral needs for Agusan del Sur, whom he considers as a "missionary frontier." Additionally, he argued that the area needed "dedicated episcopal attention." In October 2024, the Holy See formally approved the split, which gave way to the creation of the Diocese of Prosperidad, a new territory carved out of the Diocese of Butuan.
See also Roman Catholic Diocese of Butuan External links Bishop Cosme Damian Racines Almedilla Catholic-Hierarchy.org References