Cebu bishop appointed to Vatican office for culture, education

MANILA, Philippines — Pope Francis has appointed Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma as a member of the recently created Dicastery for Culture and Education.

The CBCP News, the official news service provider of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, reported that the Archdiocese of Cebu announced Palma’s appointment on Sunday.

The Vatican office was a result of the merger of the Congregation for Catholic Education and the Pontifical Council for Culture, of which Palma was a former member.

The dicastery is headed by Portuguese Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, who was appointed by the pontiff in September.

The dicastery handles the development of human values in people within the horizon of Christian anthropology as well as coordinates the activities of pontifical academies such as the Pontifical Academy of Archeology and Theology.