TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte – The
Holy Father Benedict XVI has appointed as Archbishop of Palo, His Excellency
Most Reverend Jose Serofia Palma, the present bishop of Calbayog. He will
take the place of Archbishop Pedro Dean whose resignation was accepted on
Saturday (March 18) by the Holy Father.
This was learned from Msgr.
Ramon Aguilos, media coordinator of the Archdiocese of Palo who said that
the announcement was made on Saturday evening by Archbishop Pedro Dean who
personally broke the news before a group of priests who responded to an
earlier text message from the Archdiocesan Chancery calling priests to go to
the Gonzagahaus.
His Excellency Most Reverend
Jose Serofia Palma was born in Dingle, in the Archdiocese of Jaro (Iloilo)
on March 19, 1950. He studied his philosophy at St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary
and his theology at St. Joseph Regional Seminary. Subsequently he earned his
Licentiate in Sacred Theology at the
University of
Sto.
Tomas in Manila, and his doctorate at the St. Thomas Aquinas Pontifical
University in Rome.
He was ordained a priest for
the Archdiocese of Jaro on August 21, 1976. After a year as parochial vicar
at the Jaro Cathedral, he was given a teaching assignment in St. Vincent
Ferrer Seminary. Then he became the Rector of the St. Joseph Regional
Seminary. At the same time he occupied several positions in the diocese. In
1997 he became the parish priest of the Parish of St. Anthony of Padua in
Jaro.
Appointed Titular Bishop of
Vazari Didda and Auxiliary Bishop of
Cebu on
November 28, 1997 by John Paul, he was consecrated on January 13, 1998. A
year later on January 13, 1999, he was transferred to the Diocese of
Calbayog where he still is until today.
The new Archbishop has not
yet been reached for his comments.
