The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cebu is one of the ecclesiastical provinces of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines that is composed of the entire civil province of Cebu (Cebu and the nearby islands of Mactan, Bantayan, and Camotes). The dioceses of Tagbilaran and Talibon in Bohol, the diocese of Dumaguete in Negros Oriental, and the diocese of Maasin in Southern Leyte are its suffragans. The ecclesiastical seat of the archdiocese is the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. The current Archbishop since 1982 is Ricardo Cardinal Vidal[1]. As of 2006, the archdiocese registered a total of 3,415,000 baptized catholics[2].
Cebu originally belonged to the Diocese of Manila which was established in February 6, 1579 as a suffragan to the See of Mexico. When Manila was elevated to an archdiocese by Pope Clement VIII, Cebu was created as a suffragan diocese in August 14, 1595 along with Nueva Caceres and Nueva Segovia. Its first bishop was Pedro Agurto, an Augustinian. In April 28, 1934, it was elevated to a metropolitan archdiocese with the dioceses of Dumaguete, Maasin, Tagbilaran, and Talibon as its suffragans.
Ricardo Jamin Vidal (born 6 February 1931) is a Filipino Cardinal Priest and Archbishop of Cebu in the Roman Catholic Church. He is the Roman Catholic titular head of Ss. Pietro e Paolo a Via Ostiense.
Born in Mogpog, Marinduque, Vidal studied at the Minor Seminary of the Most Holy Rosary and the San Carlos Seminary in Makati City, Metro Manila. Ordained as a priest on 17 March 1956, Vidal became the spiritual director of the local Seminary of Mount Carmel.
Vidal was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Malolos in 1971, and was consecrated bishop by Bishop Alfredo Maria Aranda Obviar. Less than two years later, he was appointed Archbishop of Lipa by Pope Paul VI. Pope John Paul II appointed Vidal Coadjutor Archbishop of Cebu in 1981, becoming Archbishop on 24 August 1982.
Vidal helped found the Catechist Missionaries of St. Theresa, a Catholic religious order.
Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral is the ecclesiastical seat of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cebu in Cebu, Philippines.[1] Cebu was established as a diocese in August 14, 1595 and was elevated as a metropolitan archdiocese in April 28, 1934 with the dioceses of Dumaguete, Maasin, Tagbilaran, and Talibon as suffragans.
Construction of the cathedral took long due to frequent interruptions brought about by lack of funds and other unexpected events. At one point in time, funds meant for the building of the cathedral were diverted to the moro wars in Mindanao. The death of an incumbent bishop who spearheaded the construction/reconstruction and vacancies in the office were also factors.
The architecture of the church is typical with baroque colonial churches in the country -- squat, cruciform, and with thick walls to withstand typhoon and other natural calamities. The trefoil-shaped pediment is decorated with carved relieves of floral motifs, an IHS inscription and a pair of griffins. The Spanish Royal Coat of Arms is emblazoned in low relief above the main entrance owing perhaps to the contribution of the Spanish monarch to its construction. Much of the cathedral was destroyed by Allied bombings in World War II with only the belfry (built in 1835), the facade, and the walls remaining. It was quickly rebuilt in the 1950s under the supervision of Architect Jose Zaragosa during the incumbency of Archbishop Gabriel Reyes .
In 1982, a mausoleumwas built at the back of the sacristy of the cathedral by then Archbishop Julio Cardinal Rosales. It serves as a final resting place for the mortal remains of Cebu's bishops and clergy. Cardinal Rosales himself, who died three months after the mausoleum was inaugurated, is buried there along with Archbishop Manuel Salvador, coadjutor Archbishop of Cebu, and Archbishop Mariano Gaviola, Archbishop of Lipa. The bones of Bishop Juan Bautista Gorordo, the first Filipino and Cebuano bishop of Cebu, are also interred in the mausoleum.