Text and Photos by Juan Carlo de Vela
ON TUESDAY, Sept. 30, 2025, thousands of faithful, along with cardinals, bishops and priests from across the country, gathered at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral for the historic rites of installation of Boholano Alberto Uy as the 25th bishop and fifth metropolitan archbishop of Cebu.
Pope Leo XIV appointed Uy on July 16, 2025, following the resignation of Archbishop José Palma, who stepped down upon reaching the canonical retirement age of 75 on March 19.
The Diocese of Cebu was established on Aug. 14, 1595 and was elevated to a Metropolitan Archdiocese on April 28, 1934. Since then, it has been led by Archbishop Gabriel Reyes (1934–1949); Archbishop Julio Rosales, Doctor of Divinity (DD) (1950–1982); Archbishop Ricardo Vidal, DD (1982–2010), Archbishop Palma, DD (2011–2025); and now Archbishop Uy (2025–present).