Vatican appointments for CCBI Board members

Dear Friends of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute,

CCBI is honoured to have two of our distinguished Board members, Thomas Cardinal Collins and John F. Kyle, receive appointments to Vatican positions. Cardinal Collins has been appointed to the Institute for the Works of Religion, and on March 8, 2014, Dr Kyle was appointed to the Council for the Economy of the Holy See.

Following are the congratulatory message from Archbishop Paul-André Durocher, President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, on Dr Kyle’s appointment to the Council for the Economy of the Holy See, and the Press Release from the Holy See Press Office.

Moira McQueen, LLB, MDiv, PhD

Executive Director

On behalf of our country’s Catholic Bishops and all the faithful of our Church in Canada, I wish to congratulate Dr. John F. Kyle for his appointment by the Holy Father this past weekend to the Council for the Economy of the Holy See. The Holy See’s Press Office has also announced that the Council is a key step towards the consolidation of the existing management structures of the Holy See, and thus is intended to improve the coordination and supervision of its economic and administrative issues.

Dr. Kyle brings significant experience and expertise with his appointment. He has been a member of the Council of International Auditors of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See since 2005; is a former Vice President and Treasurer of Imperial Oil Limited in Canada; was a member of the Finance Council of the Archdiocese of Toronto, as well as a member and chair of the audit committee of the Board of Catholic Cemeteries of Toronto. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute in Toronto, and has served on the Board of Directors of St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto, including being the Chair of the Board, and a member of the board of directors of The St. Joseph’s Health Centre Foundation, Toronto. Dr. Kyle has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin.

Dr. Kyle’s appointment follows that of His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, whom Pope Francis earlier this year named to the Commission of Cardinals responsible for overseeing the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR, which is commonly though inaccurately referred to as the “Vatican Bank”).

With these important steps, our Holy Father is ensuring the transparency and efficiency of the structures of the Holy See which are to serve the Church throughout the world. In effect, the Holy See is the world’s oldest charitable institution, and assists the Bishop of Rome in his universal ministry of communion and charity.

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops thanks the Holy Father for these two appointments, and every effort he is making to renew the Church and its members. We are most grateful for the generous assistance that Cardinal Collins and Dr. Kyle are contributing to this renewal. We assure them, and Pope Francis, of our prayers and collaboration in their efforts.

+ Paul-André Durocher
Archbishop of Gatineau and
President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

March 10, 2014

PRESS RELEASE ON THE APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL FOR THE ECONOMY

Vatican City, 8 March 2014 (VIS) – Below is the full text of the press release issued this morning by the Holy See Press Office on the appointment of eight cardinals and seven expert laypersons as members of the Council for the Economy:

“Proceeding in the constitution of the new institutions created by the Motu proprio ‘Fidelis dispensator et prudens’ of 24 February 2014, the Holy Father has appointed eight cardinals and seven expert laypersons as members of the Council for the Economy, to serve for a five-year period:

– Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich and Freising, Germany (coordinator);

– Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, archbishop of Lima, Peru;

– Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston, U.S.A.;

– Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier, archbishop of Durban, South Africa;

– Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, archbishop of Bordeaux, France;

– Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, archbishop of Mexico;

– Cardinal John Tong Hon, bishop of Hong Kong, China;

– Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar general of His Holiness for the diocese of Rome;

– Joseph F. X. Zahra, Malta (deputy coordinator);

– Jean-Baptiste de Franssu, France;

– John Kyle, Canada;

– Enrique Llano Cueto, Spain;

– Jochen Messemer, Germany;

– Francesco Vermiglio, Italy;

– George Yeo, Singapore.”

COMMENT OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE HOLY SEE PRESS OFFICE ON THE APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL FOR THE ECONOMY

Vatican City, 8 March 2014 (VIS) – “Cardinals Cipriani Thorne, Napier, Rivera Carrera, Tong Hon, and Vallini, along with Cardinal Pell, new Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, were previously all members of the Council for the Study of Organizational and Economic Problems of the Holy See (Council of 15), which has ceased to exist. Cardinal Marx and Cardinal Pell, as is known, are both members of the Council of Cardinals for the reform of the Apostolic Constitution Pastor bonus, and for assisting the Holy Father in the governance of the universal Church (Council of 8).

“The relations between the Council and the Secretariat for the Economy will be defined by the statutes, and in any case the Council is to be understood as a body with its own decision-making authority, not merely an advisory organ of the Secretariat for the Economy.

“The members appointed to the Council are from various geographical areas, reflecting, as requested by the Motu proprio Fidelis dispensator et prudens, the universality of the Church. The laypersons, selected on the basis of their professional experience and capacity, will become voting members of a dicastery, one of the governing organs of the Roman Curia. The lay members will work on an entirely voluntary and pro bono basis, and shall receive compensation only for travel and lodgings in Rome.

“The constitution of the Council for the Economy is a key step towards the consolidation of the current management structures of the Holy See, with the aim of improving coordination and oversight of economic and administrative matters. The institutions of the Holy See related to these matters will depend on the Council. The latter will adopt practical measures used by other public organisations and shall aim at greater transparency and appropriate management.

“The Council will begin work immediately, and its first meeting is scheduled for May”.