New Secretary of the CDF Named

(Rome) Pope Francis has appointed a new secretary of the Roman Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith with remarkable speed. It is the Italian priest Giacomo Morandi, who, since 2015, held the office of sub-secretary at the Congregation.

Born in Modena in 1965, Msgr. Morandi was ordained as a priest for his home diocese in 1990. After various pastoral tasks, he was appointed bishop vicar for catechesis, evangelization and culture. Most recently, he was Archbishop of Modena in the cathedral chapter and vicar general of the archdiocese. He also taught Bible Studies at the University of Religious Sciences of Modena and Patristic Exegesis at the Atelier of Theology of Cardinal Spidlik, which is connected with the Pontifical Oriental Institute. In October 2015 Francis named him as Undersecretary to the Congregation for the Congo.

The former secretary of the Congregation of the Doctrine and the Faith was the curial bishop, Luis Ladaria SJ, who, Francis appointed on 1 July, as the new Prefect of the Congregation as successor to Cardinal Gerhard Müller. Cardinal Müller had been dismissed the day before by Francis. Officially, his mandate was not extended after the end of his five-year term of office. This had never been the case before. It is generally known that the relationship between Pope Francis and Cardinal Miiller was never really harmonious. For this reason, is why a regular dismissal was suggested.

Giacomo Morandi was at the same time, appointed by Francis as the titular archbishop of Cerveteri.

Morandi's appointment to the Congregation of Doctrine and the Faith took place on October 27, 2015. The date is remarkable, for only two days before, the hard-fought bishop's synod on the family had ended with a half defeat for Francis. Already at the beginning of the Synod, Cardinal Müller, together with twelve other cardinals, had sent a protest letter against a synod, the results of which have already been confirmed.

The appointment date of Morandi to the Congregation followed on 27 October, 2015. Pope Francis' s dismissal of Cardinal Müller was a definite decision. This coincides with the time when Francis marginalized the prefect of faith. At the latest since the end of the Synod, Francis appears to have waited only for the perfunctory end of Müller's term in office.

The present titular bishopric of Cerveteri is from the 5th to the 11th century a diocese in the former church state (Latium). Bishop Marinus was even elected Pope in 882 as Marinus I. Bishop Annisus participated in the canonization of Bishop Ulrich of Augsburg in 993.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Photo: Youtube (Screenshot)

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG