Archbishop Alberto Uy of Cebu on Monday said that the lasting legacy of Church leaders is measured not by titles, buildings or public recognition, but by lives transformed through humble service.
Speaking during a Mass at the Pontificio Collegio Filippino chapel on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, he said the legacy of Church leaders will never be found in monuments or celebrated titles.
“…Not the buildings we live behind, not the titles we carry, not the portrait, not the applause we received, but the lives we have touched, the people we have served, and the faith we have inspired,” Uy said.
The celebration also marked the 65th anniversary of the Pontificio Collegio Filippino and honored three Filipino metropolitan archbishops who earlier in the day received the pallium from Pope Leo XIV during a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica.
The archbishops were Uy, Archbishop Charlie Inzon of Cotabato and Archbishop David William Antonio of Nueva Segovia.
Uy said he and his fellow archbishops accepted the pallium not as a personal honor but as a renewed commitment to Christ and the people entrusted to their care.
“We received the pallium not as a personal trophy, but as a reminder that we belong more completely to Christ, the Good Shepherd, and to the people he entrusts to us,” he said.
The pallium is a narrow white woolen band marked with black crosses and worn by metropolitan archbishops during liturgical celebrations. Blessed by the pope each year on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, it symbolizes an archbishop’s pastoral authority and communion with the Holy See.
The Cebu archbishop also said that authentic Christian leadership is never defined by rank or privilege.
“Leadership in the church is never about standing above others. It is about carrying others,” he said. “And the pallium is not a decoration. It is a responsibility.”
Among those who joined the liturgical celebration were Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan, Cardinal Orlando Quevedo, archbishop emeritus of Cotabato, Bishop Antonieto Cabajog of Surigao, dozens of priests, most of them from PCF.
Philippine Ambassador to the Holy See Raphael Lotilla and some officials from the Philippine Embassy to Italy also graced the occasion.
Before the Mass, the Pontificio Collegio Filippino unveiled a portrait of Cardinal David, joining those of other Filipino cardinals displayed at the college.
