Manila, July 6 -- Kalibo Bishop Cyril Villareal on Monday urged his brother-bishops to be available for their flock and not be distant from the faithful.

"Our people look highly of us, ordained ministers, up to the point that we are so distant from them. They do not know who we are," he said during a Mass held in the ongoing retreat of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in Ozamiz City.

"This might have happened to many of us priests and bishops. Maybe our status might have already put us on a higher ladder, detached from the people," the head of the Diocese of Kalibo added.

He asked his fellow prelates to spend more time with the people and do it genuinely and with authenticity.

"For me, it is simply being wit...