Editorial - Hello and goodbye

Most Cebuanos, including everyone below 30 years of age, know of no other Cebu archbishop than Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, who headed the archdiocese for 29 years. Today, Cebuanos will have a new archbishop in Jose Palma, following the retirement of Vidal.

As Cebuanos heartily welcome Palma, so must they also grudgingly let go of Vidal. Both are not easy to do, on account of each other. It is difficult to be happy and be at the same time sad, or vice versa.

But life must move on, for Vidal, for Palma, for the Cebuanos. It will be happy for Vidal as he moves on to retirement, but it will also be sad for him, also on account of retirement. The same is true for Palma — happy over new challenges, sad on leaving the familiar to remembrance.

Cebuanos, too, will feel it, even if they may not want to show it. It is difficult to let go of a 29-year-old relationship, especially one characterized by mutual respect and genuine love and a remarkable absence of rancor that often dooms most relations.

It is this 29-year-old smooth sailing with Vidal that will perhaps provide the greatest challenge for Palma. The faith of Cebuanos is beyond question, so there is no worry about that. It is what Palma and the Cebuanos make of their “marriage” that may need some working.

Again, Cebuanos, always known for their warmth and friendliness, will naturally welcome Palma heartily. But let us not kid ourselves. Vidal has left such an indelible mark on Cebuanos that it will be hard for us not to unconsciously make comparisons.

We can always pinch ourselves reassuringly that that is not our intention. And of course it is not. But better believe that in the deepest recesses of our beings, that will surface from time to time, and we can only hope it will not get in the way of our relationship with Palma.

Palma himself has to be made aware of that right from the start, so he can understand, which we are confident he will. It is in laying our cards on the table that we open up, and from there move on without reservation, to trust and accept what we mean for each other.

So, goodbye Cardinal Vidal and thank you for everything. Know always that you have a home in Cebu forever. And welcome Archbishop Palma, to Cebu, with the earnest hope that you will be a Cebuano too. (FREEMAN)