Socrates Villegas

Sócrates "Soc" Buenaventura Villegas O.P. (born September 28, 1960) is a Filipino prelate, and a professed member of the Dominican Order, He is the current Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan in Pangasinan, and is the former president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, from December 1, 2013 to December 1, 2017, when he finished his second and final term as president of the said conference.

The youngest of the three children of Emiliano Villegas and Norma Buenaventura both from Pateros, he was born on September 28, 1960 when the town is still part of Rizal province.

He went through basic education at the Pateros Elementary School, Pateros Catholic School and Colegio de San Juan de Letran.

He studied for the priesthood at San Carlos Seminary with a degree Master of Arts in Theological Studies.

He was ordained priest on October 5, 1985, and bishop on August 31, 2001, by Cardinal Jaime Sin whom he served as private secretary for fifteen years and as Vicar General for 13 years.

He then became the first Rector of the EDSA Shrine and Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Manila in concurrent capacity.

He was the CEO of the Tenth World Youth Day held in Manila in 1995 and the Fourth World Meeting of Families in 2002.

In the secular field, he was one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines in the year 2000 and a Catholic Authors Awardee in 1994.

The Bataan Peninsula State University conferred upon him a Doctor of Humanities degree honoris causa in recognition of his work for the Province of Bataan.

He authored ten books of homilies and spiritual meditations since he was priest of the Archdiocese of Manila until now.

In January 2023, Saint Louis University in Baguio City conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Philosophy honoris causa in recognition of his contribution to the field of social philosophy and ethics.

He is a member of Dominican Clerical Fraternity of the Philippines (DCFP), the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

Appointed auxiliary bishop of Manila on July 25, 2001, he was ordained to the episcopacy on August 31, 2001, until his transfer to Balanga on July 3, 2004.

Before his election as president of the bishops' conference, he was Bishop Chairman of the Episcopal Commission for Catechesis and Catholic Education.

He was the Chairman of the Episcopal Commission for Catechesis and Catholic Education of the CBCP from 2003 until 2012 and formerly a member of the Presidential Committee of the Pontifical Council for the Family.

He is currently the Chairman of the CBCP Episcopal Commission for Seminaries.

He joined the Order of Preachers.

He is a chaplain of the Order of Malta and the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

Villegas was named as third Bishop of Balanga on May 3, 2004 by Pope John Paul II.

He continued to hold the position as priest of the Archdiocese of Manila and rector of EDSA Shrine while holding the position as bishop-elect until his installation as the diocese's third bishop in July 3, 2004.

During his tenure as Bishop of Balanga, he saw that the cathedral's decorations were in bad shape; he renovated the inside with a new design.

When it was finished, the white walls were replaced by a wall of bricks, the structure behind the altar became marble white, the floors were higher, the lectern bearing the coat of arms of diocese of Balanga was replaced with the one with Holy Spirit, and the chandeliers were replaced by ceiling lights.

In August 2005, Villegas told Filipino Catholics that they "cannot participate in any way or even attend religious or legal ceremonies that celebrate and legitimize homosexual unions".

Villegas' views on social and political issues in the Philippines have not been without controversy, mainly regarding high-profile issues such as the Reproductive Health Bill, the re-imposition of death penalty (long-opposed by the Catholic Church), human rights violations, extrajudicial killings under the Duterte administration, and the burial of dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes' Cemetery).

In 2008, 15 life-size images of saints with their names were added outside the cathedral representing the patron saints from the 11 towns and 1 city of Bataan where the Diocese of Balanga has jurisdiction with and a few towns have multiple saints.

On December 8, 2008, the Clinica Diocesano de San Jose was founded which is a weekly medical and dental mission for the poor people of Bataan.

Prior to his installation as Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan on November 4, 2009, Villegas previously served as rector of EDSA Shrine from December 8, 1989 to July 3, 2004, Auxiliary Bishop of Manila from 2001 to July 2004, and third Bishop of Balanga in Bataan from May 3, 2004 to November 4, 2009 succeeding Honesto Ongtioco who became Bishop of Cubao in Quezon City on August 28, 2003.

Few months before he became archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan in Pangasinan on November 2009, images featuring the ancestors of Jesus and image of Jesus Christ at the cathedral's dome were added.

On November 4, 2009, he held his final mass as Bishop of Balanga as a preparation for ending his tenure as the diocese's bishop and becoming archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan in Pangasinan.

Pope Benedict XVI named Villegas as archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan on September 8, 2009, to succeed Oscar Cruz.

He was then installed the archdiocese's archbishop on November 4, 2009, ending his 5 years, 6 months, and 1 day tenure as Bishop of Balanga.

In the Archdiocese of Lingayen Dagupan, he has decreed the creation of twelve new parishes and nine quasi parishes, since his installation as archbishop on November 4, 2009, by opening the archdiocese to the missionary presence of religious priests.

He was also the vice president of the episcopal conference from 2011 to 2013.

Due to the sudden death of San Fernando de La Union Bishop Artemio Rillera, he became the Apostolic Administrator of the said vacant See from November 13, 2011 to January 19, 2013, in a concurrent capacity.

He was a synodal father in the Synod of Bishops of 2012 and 2014.

He is a member of the Council of the papal foundation Aid to the Church in Need.

As of February 2021, he has ordained 234 deacons and 210 priests since his episcopal ordination.

He opened the first diocesan theology seminary in northern Philippines in 2013 called Mary Help of Christians Theology Seminary which grants civil master's degrees in theology and pastoral ministry.

Following the 31st Anniversary of the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution on February 25, 2017, Villegas published a 'letter' to his mentor, Cardinal Jaime Sin, where he denounced corruption, extrajudicial killings, and the restoration of the Marcos family to political power under the Duterte administration.

He is the current Bishop Chairman of the Episcopal Commission for Seminaries since 2019 until 2026.