POPE FRANCIS appointed Thomasian Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu as member of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture on Nov. 11.
The archbishop finished his licentiate in theology with magna cum laude honors in the University in 1980.
He is the only Asian appointee among the eight new members of the council composed mainly of European cardinals.
Palma was born in Iloilo and was ordained priest for the Diocese of Jaro in 1976.
He served as president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines from 2011 to 2013.
Palma, who led the International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu in 2016, has been metropolitan of the Cebu archdiocese since 2011.
The Cebu prelate will work with the dicastery led by biblical scholar and Italian Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi.
Pope John Paul II founded the Council in 1982.
It aims to “establish dialogue between the Church and the cultures of modern times, so they could open themselves to the Christian faith.”
