Pope Francis has named Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu as a member of the recently established Dicastery for Culture and Education.
Palma, 72, is the newest member of the Vatican office, formed as the result of a merger between the Congregation for Catholic Education and the Pontifical Council for Culture of which the archbishop was a former member.
The Vatican appointment was made public by the Cebu archdiocese on Sunday, Feb. 12.
The dicastery is currently headed by Portuguese Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, who was appointed by the pope as its prefect last September.
Divided into two sections, the dicastery “works for the development of human values in people within the horizon of Christian anthropology, contributing to the full realization of Christian discipleship,” according to the constitution.
The dicastery also coordinates the activities of a number of pontifical academies, such as the Pontifical Academy of Archeology and the Pontifical Academy of Theology.
