Pope Francis elevates two guardians of the faith to the rank of bishop

Pope Francis appointed two members of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith as bishops on Monday. As the Vatican announced, one of them is the secretary and thus head of the disciplinary department, John Joseph Kennedy. His section deals primarily with cases of suspected abuse by clergy.

Secretaries of large Vatican authorities usually have the title of bishop - Kennedy now has the title of archbishop. Born in Ireland, he has headed the second section of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith since 2022. Pope Francis appointed the other Secretary of the Dicastery at the same time as him: Armando Matteo heads the Section for the Doctrine of the Faith and has not yet been promoted to bishop.

Instead, the Undersecretary of the Dicastery is now a bishop. The Frenchman Philippe Curbelie has held the office since mid-2022. The head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith is the Argentinian Pope's confidant, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez. (KNA)