North American cardinal named to key Vatican post

For the first time, a North American cardinal has been put in charge of the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops, the office that helps the pope choose bishops for Latin-rite dioceses around the world. Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, 66, of Quebec has been named prefect of the "powerful" Congregation for Bishops, according to a CNS news story.

From CNS:

"Cardinal Ouellet, who succeeds 76-year-old Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, is not a stranger to Rome or to the Roman Curia. He studied in Rome and returned to the city to teach in 1996. A year later, he was appointed chair of dogmatic theology at the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family.

"In 2001, he was named a bishop and appointed secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and also served on the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews.

"In 2002, Pope John Paul II named him archbishop of Quebec, and in 2003 he made him a cardinal. He serves on the Vatican congregations overseeing liturgy, clergy and Catholic education, and is also a member of the Pontifical Council for Culture."

For the full story, which includes other appointments announced today, click HERE.