VATICAN/CEBU CITY – Pope Leo XIV has named Tagbilaran Bishop Alberto Uy as the new archbishop of Cebu.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said the appointment came after the Vatican accepted the retirement of Archbishop Jose Palma, who, on March 19, turned 75, the age at which bishops are required to submit their resignation.

The Cebu archbishop emeritus has served the archdiocese for about 14 years.

On the other hand, the 58-year-old Uy will be the fifth archbishop of Cebu.

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 also holds a licentiate in sacred theology from the Loyola School of Theology in Quezon City.

Uy studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, from 2002 to 2006, where he earned a doctorate in sacred theology.

Pope Francis appointed him as head of the Tagbilaran diocese in October 2016. He formally assumed the post on Jan. 6, 2017, one day after his episcopal ordination.

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