Layman elected to secretary position in Vatican dept

[Luigi_Daniele]

History was made. All in all, a very good thing, IMO.

Vatican City, May 14, 2011 / 02:51 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A Uruguayan with four decades of experience at the Vatican has just made history. He’s the first non-cleric to be chosen by the Pope as the “number two man” in a Vatican department.

Dr. Guzmán Carriquiry was appointed as secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America at noon on May 14.

He replaces the commission’s vice president Archbishop Jose Octavio Ruiz Arenas, who just a day earlier was named secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization.

Carriquiry will now work closely under Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops and president of the commission for Latin America.

{snip}

Other men without Roman collars have held important positions in the Vatican. Joaquin Navarro-Valls was John Paul II’s press office director. Also, the Pontifical Academy for Science has had numerous non-clerical heads, but never has this high of a Vatican curial position been held by a layman.
catholicnewsagency.com/news/layman-elected-to-secretary-position-in-vatican-dept/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+catholicnewsagency%2Fdailynews-vatican+%28CNA+Daily+News±+Vatican%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo

 

[Elizium23]

Misleading thread title - it sounds like he was appointed to a position just below the Holy Father - what is that, Dean of the College of Cardinals?

 

[Luigi_Daniele]

Not my title, really. Check the link