Pope Francis has appointed Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, a Thomasian, as a member of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education, the Archdiocese of Cebu announced on Feb. 12.
The newly established dicastery is the result of the merger of the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Congregation of Catholic Education on June 5, 2022.
Headed by Portuguese Cardinal Jose Tolentino de Mendoca, the dicastery is tasked with instilling “human value in Christian anthropology to realize Christian discipleship,” the Cebu archdiocese said.
The dicastery also monitors the activities of the Pontifical Academy of Archaeology and the Pontifical Academy of Theology.
Palma, who has been Cebu’s archbishop since October 2010, finished his master’s degree in theology at UST and doctorate at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
He entered the Priestly Fraternity of the Order of Preachers in 2018.
He recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of his ordination on Jan. 13.
