Pope taps Filipino priest to Vatican's Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences

MANILA, Philippines — Pope Francis has named the Filipino priest Albino Barrera to one of the Catholic Church's pontifical academies, the Vatican has announced. 

The Holy See made the news through a regular bulletin of the Pope's appointments on September 14.

Barrera will sit as an ordinary member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, with a term of 10 years that the Pope can still renew.

The body is among the 10 pontifical academies of the Vatican that the late Pope John Paul II established in 1994. Its aim is to promote the study of the social sciences particularly on economics, sociology, as well as law and political science. 

Per its statutes, the academy, "through an appropriate dialogue, thus offers the Church the elements which she can use in the development of her social doctrine, and reflects on the application of that doctrine in contemporary society."

Barrera was ordained priest to the Order of Preachers or the Dominicans in 1993. The religious order is long known for its intellectual tradition, with its members serving as theologians and advisers to popes. 

In 2015, the Order named him a "Master of Sacred Theology," a revered title held by their founder Dominic de Guzman. 

Barrera hails from Manila, having been born there on Jan. 3, 1956, where he also graduated from De La Salle University.

The 65-year-old is a professor of moral theology at Providence College in Rhode Island in the United States. 

His academic background includes a doctorate in economics from Yale University, and a licentiate in theology from the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

The Vatican said Barrera has also authored publications in moral theology, economic ethics, development and international trade.