The Archbishop of Cebu is pushing anew a proposal to divide the archdiocese into three. Archbishop Jose Palma is set to present the proposal to his fellow prelates during the 126th Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) that will be held in Kalibo, Aklan on July 8-10. "During our plenary assembly, I will have the time to present the proposal. There are various aspects of the proposal," he said in an interview over Church-run Radio Veritas on Thursday. According to Palma, they are proposing that the Archdiocese of Cebu would serve as the Mother Church, while one diocese would be established each in Northern Cebu (Danao City or Bogo City) and Southern Cebu territories (Carcar City). "This plan aims to serve more people, especially the far-flung areas and islands in the province," he said. The Archdiocese of Cebu is looking at submitting the proposal to the Vatican in January 2024. Only the Pope has the authority to divide, merge, or create dioceses. Palma initiated the idea of dividing the territory into several dioceses in 2011. At present, the Cebu archdiocese has a Catholic population of 4.6 million, more than 600 priests, and 174 parishes. Its suffragan sees are the Dioceses of Dumaguete, Maasin, Tagbilaran, and Talibon. It was first established as the Diocese of Cebu in August 1595 and was elevated into the Archdiocese of Cebu in April 1934

Source: Philippines News Agency