New Zamboanga archbishop finally installed

Archbishop Romulo dela Cruz Screengrab from cbcpwebsite.com

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — Archbishop Romulo dela Cruz was formally installed Wednesday as the new head of the Archdiocese of Zamboanga before an expectant Catholic community whose church had been without a leader the past two years.

The local faithful flocked to the Zamboanga Metropolitan Cathedral to witness the installation ceremony Wednesday morning.

Papal Nuncio Giuseppe Pinto presided over the ceremonies, with Church officials from all over the country in attendance.

At a press conference earlier, Archbishop dela Cruz vowed to listen to the local clergy and the laity city to learn the different issues and challenges confronting the archdiocese.

“Even if I read and I heard a lot about the problems in Zamboanga, it’s good to listen to the local people,” Dela Cruz said.

He also promised to engage in dialogues with leaders of different faiths, including the Muslim community, to address peace-and-order issues.

Aside from the papal nuncio, church dignitaries who witnessed the installation included Cardinal Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato, Archbishops Jose Advincula of Capiz, Romulo Valles of Davao, Jose Palma of Cebu, Rolando Tirona of Caceres, Antonio Ledesma of Cagayan and bishops from nearby provinces and cities of Mindanao.

Valles was the city’s archbishop prior to his transfer to Davao City more than two years ago.

Dela Cruz was appointed to the Zamboanga archdiocese by Pope Francis last March 15. He had been the archbishop of Kidapawan since 2008. He had also served as bishop of Antique and Isabela, Basilan.

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