José S. Palma

Not to be confused with José Palma, the 19th century lyricist of the Philippine National Anthem.

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Serofia and the surname or paternal family name is Palma.

His Excellency, The Most Reverend José Serofia Palma O.P., D.D., STD
Metropolitan Archbishop Emeritus of Cebu Apostolic Administrator of Cebu
Archbishop José S. Palma, celebrating the Novus Ordo Mass in Ad Orientem at Oratory of Our Lady of Sorrows, circa 2023.
Church	Latin Church
Province	Cebu
See	Cebu
Appointed	October 15, 2010
Installed	January 13, 2011
Retired	July 16, 2025
Predecessor	Ricardo Vidal
Successor	Alberto S. Uy
Previous post(s)	Bishop of Calbayog (1999–2006) Metropolitan Archbishop of Palo (2006–2010)
Orders
Ordination	August 21, 1976 by Alberto Jover Piamonte
Consecration	January 13, 1998 by Gian Vincenzo Moreni
Personal details
Born	José Serofia Palma (1950-03-19) March 19, 1950 Dingle, Iloilo, Philippines
Nationality	Filipino
Denomination	Catholicism
Alma mater	St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary St. Joseph Regional Seminary Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas
Motto	Non nobis Domine (Latin for 'Not to us O Lord')
Signature
Coat of arms
Ordination history
History Priestly ordination Ordained by Alberto Jover Piamonte Date August 21, 1976 Episcopal consecration Principal consecrator Gian Vincenzo Moreni Co-consecrators Alberto Jover Piamonte Fernando Capalla Date January 13, 1998 Place Jaro Cathedral
Episcopal succession Bishops consecrated by José S. Palma as principal consecrator Patrick Daniel Y. Parcon August 22, 2014 Dennis C. Villarojo August 10, 2015 Ruben C. Labajo August 19, 2022

Styles of José S. Palma
Reference style	The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Archbishop, Monsignor

José Serofia Palma O.P. (born March 19, 1950) is a Filipino prelate and a professed member of the Dominican Order who served as Metropolitan Archbishop of Cebu from 2011 to 2025. He had previously served as Metropolitan Archbishop of Palo in Leyte from 2006 to 2010, and as president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines from 2011 to 2013.

Early life

Palma was born in Dingle, Iloilo, in the Archdiocese of Jaro. He studied philosophy at St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary and theological studies at the St. Joseph Regional Seminary. He received his licentiate in Sacred Theology at the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas in Manila, and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Jaro on August 21, 1976.

Palma earned a doctorate from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas, Angelicum in Rome in 1987 with a dissertation entitled Death as an Act: A Dialogue in Eschatology with Contemporary Theologians.

Priesthood

After a year as assistant priest at the Jaro Cathedral, he taught at his alma mater, St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary. After his studies in Rome, he became rector of the seminary until he was appointed rector of the major seminary of the Metropolitan Province of Jaro-the St. Joseph Regional Seminary, in 1988. Meanwhile, he also held various positions in several diocesan commissions. In 1997 he was made parish priest of the Parish of St Anthony of Padua in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo (Archdiocese of Jaro). On November 28, 1997, Pope John Paul II appointed him Titular Bishop of Vazari Diddi and Auxiliary Bishop of Cebu. He was consecrated on January 13, 1998. Exactly a year later, he was made Bishop-Ordinary of the See of Calbayog.

As metropolitan archbishop

Metropolitan Archbishop of Palo

On March 18, 2006, Palma was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Palo by Pope Benedict XVI, succeeding Archbishop-Emeritus Pedro R. Dean.

Metropolitan Archbishop of Cebu

On October 15, 2010, he was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Cebu, replacing Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, who had been archbishop for 29 years. He was installed on January 13, 2011, at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. He served as vice-president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines from December 1, 2009, until July 11, 2011, on which he was elected president.

In 2018, he joined the Order of Preachers.

Pope Francis named him a member of the Pontifical Council for Culture on November 11, 2019.

In December 2024, Archbishop Palma suspended indefinitely the celebration of Traditional Tridentine Mass (TLM) in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu until further notice.

After 14 years of leading the Archdiocese of Cebu, Pope Leo XIV accepted his retirement at the age of 75 (the mandatory retirement age for bishops) on July 16, 2025, and appointed Alberto Uy, Bishop of Tagbilaran, as his successor.

External links

• Media related to Jose S. Palma at Wikimedia Commons
• Catholic Hierarchy Archbishop Jose S. Palma
• Calbayog
• Palo Archdiocese