Vatican City, 01/30/2023 (KAP) The head of the influential bishopric in the Vatican, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, has been released by Pope Francis. On Monday he accepted the 78-year-old’s resignation for reasons of age. Francis appointed the 67-year-old American religious Robert Francis Prevost as his successor. This was previously bishop of the Peruvian diocese of Chiclayo; from April 2020 to May 2021 he served as crisis manager in the orphaned diocese of Callao, also in Peru. From 2001 to 2013, Prevost was Prior General of the worldwide Augustinian Order.
According to the Vatican announcement, the new prefect of the dicastery for bishops will receive the title of archbishop and will take up his new position on April 12. Prevost has been a member of the Dicastery of Bishops since November 2021.
The respective prefect of the episcopal authority holds one of the most important positions in the Roman Curia, mainly because of the responsibilities for the procedures of episcopal appointments and disciplinary matters. Like his predecessor Ouellet, the new Prefect Prevost will also take on the top post as President of the Pontifical Latin America Commission.
Canadian Ouellet has headed the Vatican authority for bishops since 2010. From 2002 he was Archbishop of his native Diocese of Quebec, Canada. In 2003 he was made a cardinal. At the Roman Curia, Ouellet, who is a member of the Sulpician Congregation, was Secretary of the Council for Christian Unity between 2001 and 2002. After the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. in 2013, Ouellet was considered by a number of observers to be one of the possible favorites for the election of the next pope.
The 78-year-old cardinal recently hit the headlines with a lawsuit against a former church employee for defamation. The former pastoral officer had accused Ouellet of sexually abusive behavior during his time as archbishop of Quebec.
