Pope Francis has reappointed Archbishop Romulo Valles of Davao as member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (CDW).
The reappointment was conveyed by the Vatican’s Secretariat of State to Archbishop Arthur Roche, prefect of the Vatican department, on March 18.
Archbishop Valles, a liturgist, received his reappointment on March 29 but the Davao archdiocese only made it public on April 17.
The Vatican’s divine worship office handles matters regarding the liturgical dimensions of Church life, particularly in matters of fostering and safeguarding the discipline and proper celebration of the liturgy.
In his letter to Archbishop Roche, Archbishop Valles expressed his surprise at being given another five years to serve in the dicastery.
In accepting the appointment, he said that “it is a joy to serve the Church in this manner” and to represent the Philippines in the dicastery.
It was in October 2016 when the pope first named Archbishop Valles and 26 other bishops to be members of CDW.
Archbishop Valles is a former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. He also served as chairman of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Liturgy from 2001 to 2009.
