A month after he was formally elevated to the College of Cardinals, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David was given an assignment in the Vatican by Pope Francis.
In a report, CBCP News said the Pontiff appointed David as one of the new members of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
“Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David has received his first assignment to the Roman Curia,” the CBCP said.
“He has been assigned a role within key Vatican institutions, which is one of the clearest ways to assist Pope Francis in governing the global Church,” it added.
Also appointed with David were Cardinals Jaime Spengler of Porto Alegre, Brazil; Ignace Bessi Dogbo of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; and Roberto Repole of Turin, Italy.
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has been headed by Argentine Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández since September 2023.
The Dicastery has two sections: one focuses on doctrinal matters while the other handles disciplinary issues.
The doctrinal section promotes and safeguards faith and morals, handles marriage annulments, and addresses the Church’s evangelization efforts. The disciplinary section deals with delicts, or crimes, including clerical sexual abuse cases.
The Pontiff named David as one of the 21 new cardinals of the Catholic Church in October 2024.
In December 2024, David and the 20 other new cardinals received the red biretta formally signifying their elevation to the College Cardinals as well as the cardinal’s ring and a document naming their titular church from Pope Francis.
Aside from being the CBCP president, David also serves as the bishop of the Diocese of Kalookan.