"We're here to serve, not seek honor"

CEBU, Philippines - When Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma learned of his appointment in October of last year to head the Cebu Archdiocese, he fell silent for what seemed like the longest time. “My first reaction was a period of long silence. I could not believe it. But the Papal Nuncio said, this is a product of inquiry so you just have to make an act of faith that the Pope trusts you.”

 Now roughly four months after his installation, Bishop Palma said, “I’m grateful to the Lord for bringing me here to Cebu unworthy as I am. Cebu is a very important archdiocese in the Philippines. We often refer to it as the cradle of Christian civilization because as history attests, the first mass and first baptism was held in what was then part of the Cebu diocese, plus the devotion to the Sto. Niño started in Cebu. I believe there are more talented and proven leaders, but just the same I’m thankful for this.”

 How does he find the Cebu community so far? The towering and smiling 61-year-old bishop said: “True to reputation, Cebuanos are a very religious community, and are generally caring, warm and welcoming.”

Palma said that he has also inherited the bad with the good; in other words, the problems that have had beset the Archdiocese under former Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal –  “erring” priests included – he said, “That’s the reality every bishop has to reckon with. In any form of profession or vocation, you find the good ones and the ‘erring’ ones, but the Holy Father [Pope Benedict XVI] has something wonderful to remind us. He hopes that in general we should be appreciative of the good ones, because certainly there are many good ones.”

He added that it is part of the church’s concerns to address the issue (of erring priests) and what ongoing formation or assist programs they could give to them. “Perhaps circumstances drive our brothers to all of these, not to mention the many temptations of the world. Many of them need love, understanding or help, be it an assist program or an awareness of the harm that has happened, or a way of correcting them.”

He continued, “That’s why I look forward to the first retreat with the priests of Cebu come October. I volunteered to be facilitator because I hope to be able to talk heart to heart with them. And I hope in the spirit of prayer, we will be able to arrive at a certain mindset and spirituality, as a guide of our priestly ministry. Hopefully, it will be a good start.”

It seems Bishop Palma’s life has been divinely tracked to lead to this point.

The eldest son who grew up in a religious family of farmers in Dingle, Iloilo, he shared his vocation story: “When I was small, the priest, who would celebrate in our barangay fiesta, would often stay in our house. That was because he had to make a roundabout trip since there was no bridge that crossed to our barangay then. At that time, I thought I had a fascination for something divine, for the mystery-like, because I get focused when he celebrated a mass. And he was a very good priest.”

 “When I got to elementary, my aunt said how would you like to enter the seminary, and I said dili ko kay di ko makapangasawa ana,” he continued with a laugh. “But that was it. I studied in a  Catholic highschool, after which that attraction came back after a friend invited me to join a seminary. Then it was smooth-sailing until ordination.”

It helps too, that his family nurtured his faith and sense of service. “Growing up we would gather for prayer everyday and we would go to church on Sundays even if we have to walk because there was no transportation. I thank the Lord for a loving family; I never heard my father and mother quarrel. I had a very happy childhood, I enjoyed the life of the people in the barangay, very simple, but the spirit of bayanihan was alive. My father was the barangay captain. Because of this, the priest and the mayor would stay in our home; I saw the respect of the people in him. More than that, I saw in my father the spirit of service.”

Bishop Palma went on to get his licentiate in Sacred Theology at the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas in Manila, graduating valedictorian. He got his doctorate from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, where he was magna cum laude (“I’m not a brilliant guy, but I was a very diligent student,” he said.)

He was ordained in 1976. He became assistant priest at the Cathedral of Jaro and rector of the Major seminary of the Metropolitan Province of Jaro-the St. Joseph Regional Seminary in the 80s. He became auxiliary Bishop of Cebu in 1997; Bishop-Ordinary of Calbayog in 1998; then Archbishop of Palo in 2006.

 Did this farmer’s son ever imagine he’d go this far in the Catholic heirarchy? “At one point when I was already a priest, my bishop in Iloilo called me and told me, after having served as rector of the theology seminar for more than nine years, when we assigned you to a parish, did you imagine that it is a preparation for being a bishop? That was our purpose, you had a good performance in the seminary, so we put you in a parish to prepare you as bishop, he said. To me being a bishop is already beyond dreams; to be archbishop is certainly beyond expectations.”

For those interested to enter the priestly or religious vocations, he said: “I think a simple prayer will help like, Lord, is it for me? Can you give me more signs? Can you deepen or strengthen that attraction?” But he also said that there’s always that leap of faith that one has to make because nothing is certain 100 percent. “Somehow you have to make an act of faith. The only way I can know is when I am there. But if they have the basic signs, the attraction, the intellectual, physical, academic requirements, etc., then it is good to give it try. That try would require a certain amount of generosity – I give myself and I hope I’m chosen. A lot depends on how much you trust the Lord; in the end it’s the Lord’s choice if you have a vocation or not.”

His priestly ministry, especially in Samar and Leyte, earned him the reputation in the media as an activist and militant bishop. “[The tag] must be because of what they have observed in my ministry as bishop. The situation over there is that we had to reckon with so much poverty, militarization, and the reality of NPA and killings during elections, or we have to respond to the threat of massive mining, destruction of fishing areas... Somehow one has to speak as a bishop; the voice of a pastor has to be heard. Whether it was denoucing what I thought was unecessary in the military campaign, or the atrocities of the NPA, I think I have to speak. I did that, and there’s a certain of amount of fear, but fear doesn’t stop me from what should be done.”

Did he receive death threats? “Thanks be to God, no. In general, people are still respectful of the bishop. I know some sectors didn’t like what I was doing. But I’m not there to be liked, but to preach the Gospel and to announce what I think is God’s message to the community.”

One of the new and major challenges that the Church is facing and fighting head-on is the Reproductive Health Bill now pending in Congress. Can the anti-RH campaign stand a chance of prospering? He said, “I like what happened during the Congress debate wherein people were encouraged if they were for or not for RH. They had a text voting afterwards and there were more anti-RH text voters. I think it was revealing of the general sentiments. If we gauge the realities, I think it speaks a lot. I have a feeling, but I have no way of proving it, that in general, most people don’t like it, but we know that the figures that really matter are those of the congressmen. That’s why I’m very vocal that I wish the President could say honestly or publicly to let the congressmen vote without threatening their pork barrel, because that’s not fair. Let the discussion or forum or debate continue, but in the end, make the people free to choose, and I believe there are still many who would still choose to go against the RH bill. That’s my feeling.”

With his very tight schedule, dealing issues like this among many others, does Bishop Palma still have the time for leisure? “I enjoy being with people and priests – that’s already my idea of leisure,” he said. But if he has more time, he’d like to enjoy a good film (“Action films because they can be relaxing, although the last one I enjoyed was produced by Archbishop Leonard Legaspi and directed by Marilou Diaz Abaya, entitled Ikaw Ang Pag-ibig,which touched on culture and some religiosity”) and a good book before bedtime. “I begin to value and appreciate this Pope’s writings. I admire him not only for his brilliant mind, but also now for his pastoral ministry. I thought before,  I admire him because he was so hard to understand, he can go very, very deep, but now he writes in such a way that he’s offering it not only for theologians but also for ordinary people. That’s so great of him.  Other books would be on leadership or managerial tips. I used to devour Stephen Covey and other books on how to be an effective leader and manager.”

 It’s interesting to note that it’s Bishop Palma himself who arranges his schedule, with every single appointment logged into a notebook he carries everywhere. What is his typical day like? “I usually start a day either by joining the common morning prayer, or having it in private in my own chapel. Then I do some exercise or jogging. Before I used to play tennis a lot when I have less packed schedule. Lately I couldn’t do that. Breakfasts are open to priests who’d like to share a meal with us and talk to me. 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. is open to visitors because a lot of people want to see me now. My 3 to 5 p.m. is filled up till June with appointments outside,” he shared.

But it’s part of the “job,” and efforts to reach out to more people.

 “We’re not here to seek honor, because priesthood is servanthood. With more priests thinking that way, there will be more active lay people. For many, many years, people equate the church with only priests; but it’s the age of the lay people now. You are the church, we are the church,” Bishop Palma ended. (FREEMAN)