Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Fernando Filoni, 65, substitute for general affairs of the Secretariat of State, as prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
The Vatican announced today that the archbishop will succeed Cardinal Ivan Dias, 75, who resigned due to reasons of age after serving for five years as head of the dicastery that directs the missionary work of the Church.
The congregation oversees the work of the Supreme Committee of the Pontifical Missionary Societies of the Propagation of the Faith, of St. Peter the Apostle, of the Holy Childhood and of the Missionary Union.
It currently consists of 49 members: 35 cardinals, five archbishops, two bishops, four directors of the Pontifical Missionary Societies, and three general superiors. There is also a college of consultors from various countries.
Archbishop Filoni has previously served as apostolic nuncio to Iraq, Jordan and the Philippines. He has also worked as a Vatican representative in Sri Lanka, Iran and Brazil.
Born in Manduria, Italy, he was ordained a priest in 1970 for the Diocese of Nardo-Gallipoli. He was ordained a bishop by Blessed John Paul II in 2001.
VATICAN CITY, MAY 10, 2011 (Zenit.org)