Bishop Uy is new Cebu Archbishop

Local

BISHOP Alberto Uy of Tagbilaran City has been appointed by Pope Leo XIV as the new Archbishop of Cebu.

He succeeded Archbishop Jose Palma, whose resignation was accepted after he reached the mandatory retirement age of 75.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) News confirmed the appointment on July 16, stating that the 58-year-old prelate will become the fifth archbishop of Cebu.

“Uy will succeed Archbishop Jose Palma, whose resignation was accepted by the pope,” the CBCP said in its report.

Palma, who served nearly 14 years as Cebu’s archbishop, turned 75 on March 19, the age required under canon law for bishops to offer their resignation.

From Bohol to Cebu

Born in Ubay, Bohol, Archbishop-designate Uy studied philosophy at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Tagbilaran City.

He pursued theological studies and a master’s degree in pastoral ministry at St. John Mary Vianney Theological Seminary in Cagayan de Oro City.

Uy also holds a licentiate in sacred theology from the Loyola School of Theology in Quezon City, and earned his doctorate in sacred theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he studied from 2002 to 2006.

He was ordained a priest in 1993 for the Diocese of Talibon, also in Bohol. In October 2016, the late Pope Francis appointed him as Bishop of Tagbilaran, a post he officially assumed on January 6, 2017.

Moral Voice in church and society

Archbishop-designate Uy is known not only for his academic credentials and pastoral leadership but also for his strong voice on national issues.

In a joint pastoral letter issued on January 24, 2024, he and Talibon Bishop Patrick Daniel Parcon urged Catholics to reject the people’s initiative campaign to amend the 1987 Constitution, warning against possible manipulation and deception.

Uy also joined growing calls for the Senate to proceed with the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, stating that “[w]hen a public official is accused of serious wrongdoing, it is a moral obligation of our democratic institutions to allow due process to take its course.”(TGP)