DAVAO CITY – Pope Francis has a named Cebu Archbishop Jose S. Palma, as a member of the Roman Curia.
The Roman Curia is the administrative unit of the Holy See is called the Roman Curia, which assists the Pope in governing the Catholic Church. The Roman Curia includes the Secretariats, the Curial Congregations, the Pontifical Councils, Pontifical Commissions, the tribunals, and other offices.
It is composed of the Secretariat of State, the Dicasteries and the Bodies, all of which are juridically equal, is is a body that supports bishops and episcopal conferences in promoting Catholic identity in schools and institutes of higher education.
The Philippine News Agen y reported that the Archdiocese of Cebu said Palma was named a member of the Dicastery for Culture and Education based in the Vatican and is currently headed by a Portuguese theologian, Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça.
In a statement posted Sunday, the archdiocese said the Dicastery was formed through the merger of the Vatican’s former Pontifical Council for Culture and the Congregation for Catholic Education.
Palma was a former member of the Pontifical Council for Culture.
“The dicastery comprises the Section for Culture, dedicated to the promotion of culture, pastoral activity, and the enhancement of cultural heritage, and the Section for Education, which develops the fundamental principles of education regarding schools, Catholic and ecclesiastical institutes of higher education and research, and is competent for hierarchical recourses in these matters,” it said.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued a separate statement confirming Palma’s appointment to the Vatican office.
Quoting its constitution, the CBCP said the dicastery “works for the development of human values in people within the horizon of Christian anthropology, contributing to the full realization of Christian discipleship.”-with PNA report
