POPE Francis has appointed Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma as the newest member of the Dicastery for Culture and Education of the Vatican.
The Archdiocese of Cebu posted a notice about this on its Facebook page on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023.
The post includes a photo of Palma’s appointment letter from the Vatican’s Secretariat of State naming him a member of the assembly.
The 72-year-old Cebu archbishop was previously a Pontifical Council for Culture member, which merged with the Congregation for Catholic Education to form the Dicastery.
His appointment to the administrative unit will coincide with his responsibilities as archbishop of Cebu.
Fr. Japheth Geonzon, vice chairman of the Archdiocesan Commission on Worship, said it is an honor for Cebu that Archbishop Palma has been chosen to be a member of the dicastery.
“It doesn’t mean that Archbishop Palma will leave Cebu. No. He is appointed as a member of the dicastery, which is like a committee in the Roman Curia,” Geonzon told SunStar Cebu.
Geonzon explained that Palma’s membership in the dicastery may occasionally bring him to the Vatican should the prefect of the dicastery call a meeting. Other than that, his work will remain unhampered in Cebu.
“We are grateful and proud that the Pope chose our archbishop. It means he saw something in Archbishop Palma,” he added.
According to the Apostolic Constitution, the dicastery “works for the development of people’s human values in the context of Christian anthropology, contributing to the full realization of Christian discipleship.”
Portuguese Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça is the current prefect of the dicastery. He was appointed by the pope in September 2022.
The dicastery comprises the Section for Culture, which promotes culture, pastoral activity, and the enhancement of cultural heritage, and the Section for Education, which develops the fundamental principles of Catholic education for schools and higher education institutions.
It also organizes activities of Pontifical Academies, from which personalities from the theological and humanistic sciences around the globe take part.
Some of these academies include the Pontifical Roman Academy of Archaeology, the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas, and the Pontifical Academy for Latin. (DCL)