Vicent Ribas Prats is the new bishop-elect of Ibiza, as publicly announced yesterday by the Secretary Chancellor Marcelo Jofre at the Ibizan diocesan headquarters, at 12 noon after praying the Angelus. It is a decision taken by Pope Francis and communicated by the Apostolic Nunciature in Spain to the Bishop’s Conference. Although it was officially announced yesterday, Ribas was notified of the appointment on September 7th, a secret that the cleric guarded jealously until yesterday and which he did not even reveal to his friends on Tuesday, when he celebrated 25 years of priesthood.
The see of Ibiza became vacant on January 18th, 2020 following the transfer of Vicente Juan Segura to Valencia as auxiliary bishop. On February 4th, Vicent Ribas, parish priest of Santa Eulària and Sant Mateu, was elected diocesan administrator of the Pitiusas by the college of consultors to oversee the islands until the appointment of the new bishop, himself in the end.
Vicente Ribas becomes the 14th bishop of this diocese and the fifth bishop born in these islands, following in the footsteps of Jaime Cardona Tur (Bishop of Sion in the 19th century), Juan Torres Ribas (of Menorca, killed in the Civil War), Fulgencio Torres Mayans (Bishop in Australia in the 20th century), and Antonio Cardona Riera (“Bisbe Frit”, apostolic administrator of Ibiza for 15 years from 1935, later becoming bishop until his death in 1960). He is also the second, after Frit, to serve in the Pitiusas.
Ribas arrived smiling (as he usually does) and winking at some of those present (another characteristic gesture) to the bishop’s hall where he was informed of his appointment. After reading a “greeting from the new bishop”, Ribas explained that the date of his investiture in the cathedral has yet to be decided with the nunciature, although he is to be officially considered bishop-elect of this diocese. “I hope it will be before Christmas”, he said with regard to his investiture, an event that should take place within three months.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.