Source: Thomas Aquinas College

It has certainly been a busy morning on the Catholic side of the blogosphere!! This morning, the musings about Cardinal Marc Ouellet heading to Rome as the Prefect for the Congregation for Bishops and head of the Commission for Latin America were confirmed when he was appointed to those positions by Benedict XVI. For the first time, the most important posts in the Roman Curia (Vatican Secretary of State, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and the Congregation for Bishops) are headed by two North Americans. [The CDF is headed by Cardinal Levada.]

Cardinal Ouellet has served as the Archbishop of Quebec since November of 2002, when he was appointed to the post by Pope John Paul II. During his days as a student, Ouellet studied philosophy at the Ecole Normale d’Amos, earning a Bachelor of pedagogy from Laval University in 1964. For his theological studies, the Cardinal attended the Grand Seminary of Montreal, receiving a degree in theology from the University of Montreal. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Amos on May 25, 1968.

Since his ordination to the Holy Priesthood, Ouellet has attended various other universities, obtaining degrees in philosophy from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) and a doctorate in dogmatic theology at the Gregorian University.

As President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, Ouellet will bring certain skills to the job. Latin America has been close to his heart throughout his priestly service. In fact, Cardinal Ouellet has taught philosophy at the Major Seminary of Bogotá, Colombia and has previously been on the faculty of the Major Seminary of Manizales in Colombia, including serving as the Rector from 1984 until 1989.

Ouellet has also served on the faculties of various other seminaries and educational institutions. In 1990, the Cardinal became rector of the Grand Seminary of Montreal, serving in that position until 1994 when he was appointed rector of St. Joseph’s Seminary in Edmonton. From 1996 until 2002 he served as Chair of Dogmatic Theology for the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome.

Source: Knights of Columbus

On March 3, 2001, the Holy Father, John Paul II, appointed Ouellet to Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Shortly after, on March 19 of the same year, Ouellet was ordained to the episcopacy by JPII in the Basilica of St. Peter. Since that time, Cardinal Ouellet has served in various roles within the Roman Curia. He has been a consultor to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Congregation for the Clergy. Currently, he serves as a member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Congregation for Catholic Education, the Congregation for the Clergy, the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses, the Pontifical Commission for the Latin America and the Pontifical Academy of Theology.

Ouellet was elevated to a Prince of the Church by John Paul II during the Consistory of October 21-22, 2003.

Now, as the Prefect for the Congregation for Bishops, Cardinal Ouellet will play an important role in the appointments of bishops throughout the Latin Rite of the Church. He will have a key role in determining who will take his place as the Archbishop of Quebec, a See that now becomes sede vacante.

• The Holy Father appointed Bishop Blase Cupich, current Bishop of the Diocese of Rapid City, as the sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Spokane.
• The Holy Father appointed Rev. Arthur L. Kennedy, Ph.D., current Rector of St. John’s Seminary, as Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Boston.
• The Holy Father appointed Rev. Peter J. Uglietto, S.T.D., current Rector/President of Blessed John XXIII Seminary, as Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Boston.
• The Holy Father appointed Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Cardinal-Archbishop of Quebec, as the Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and Chairman of the Commission for Latin America.
• The Holy Father appointed Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella as the head of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evengelization.
• The Holy Father appointed Archbishop Celestino Migliore as the Apostolic Nuncio to Poland.

This morning, Pope Benedict XVI also accepted the resignations of:

• Bishop William Skylstad, Bishop of the Diocese of Spokane.
• Bishop Peter A. Rosazza, Auxiliary of the Archdiocese of Hartford.
• Bishop Emilio S. Allué, Auxiliary of the Archdiocese of Boston.

Source: Archdiocese of Quebec

Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli is speculating that the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, will name Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Canada as prefect of the Congregation for Bishops. You may recall, in May Tornielli predicted that Australia’s Cardinal George Pell would be named as the prefect for the congregation. However, recent reports have reported that Cardinal Pell was reluctant to accept the new position. The position is important in the church because the congregation is instrumental in the naming of bishops throughout most of the world. The current prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, has been expected to announce his retirement for some time.

Cardinal Ouellet was ordained a priest on May 25, 1968. Throughout his life of ministry, Ouellet has served as Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. On November 15, 2002, Ouellet was named Archbishop of Quebec by Pope John Paul II. On October 21, 2003, Archbishop Ouellet was elevated to Cardinal by John Paul.

Stay tuned!

Sources: (1) Il Blog di Andrea Tornielli; (2) CatholicCulture.org