Pope appoints new Cebu archbishop

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Alberto Uy of Tagbilaran as the new archbishop of Cebu.

The announcement was made through the Vatican's Daily Bulletin. He will succeed Archbishop Jose Palma, whose resignation was accepted by the Holy Father. Uy, 58, becomes the fifth archbishop of Cebu.

Palma turned 75 on 19 March, the age at which bishops are required to submit their resignation. He served as Archbishop of Cebu for approximately 14 years.

Born in Ubay, Bohol, he studied philosophy at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Tagbilaran City and theology at St. John Mary Vianney Theological Seminary in Cagayan de Oro City, where he earned a master’s degree in pastoral ministry.

Ordained a priest for the Diocese of Talibon in 1993, he held several roles in the diocese. He also holds a licentiate in sacred theology from the Loyola School of Theology in Quezon City.

From 2002 to 2006, Uy studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, earning a doctorate in sacred theology.

Pope Francis appointed Uy as bishop of Tagbilaran in October 2016. He was consecrated as bishop at the Blessed Trinity Cathedral in Talibon, Bohol, seat of the Diocese of Talibon, on 5 January 2017.

Uy was installed as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Tagbilaran on 6 January.

According to the Archdiocese of Cebu, Uy "is a huge environmental advocate, with a heart for the poor and the marginalized."

Cebu, known as the “cradle of Christianity in the Philippines,” is home to about 4.7 million Catholics in over 170 parishes.

As of 2023, the archdiocese was served by 375 diocesan clergy and 278 religious priests.