Pope Benedict XVI has appointed new heads of several Vatican departments, naming Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Quebec as prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
Cardinal Ouellet, 66, will lead the office that helps the Pope choose bishops for Latin-rite dioceses around the world. It is the first time a North American cardinal has been placed in charge of the powerful congregation.
The Pope also named Italian Archbishop Rino Fisichella as president of a newly created agency, the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelisation. He named Spanish Mgr Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, a member of Opus Dei, to replace Archbishop Fisichella as president of the Pontifical Academy for Life.
