Vatican City, Jul 9, 2010 / 08:15 am
Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Archbishop Velasio De Paolis, C.S., as the of the Pontifical Delegate to the Legion of Christ. Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi told journalists Friday that "as soon as possible" he will personally meet with the Legion's superiors to discuss the scope of his role.
The archbishop's appointment, announced precisely at noon on Friday, confirms well-informed Vatican journalist Andrea Tornielli's prediction from June 21 that the delegate would be the president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See. Archbishop De Paolis is also an expert in canon law.
On May 1 the Pope's intention to name a delegate to the Legion and a "commission to study the Legion's constitutions" was made known in a communique from the Holy See's Press Office following meetings between the five apostolic visitors to the Legion.
Fr. Lombardi told journalists today that it will likely be Archbishop De Paolis to "guide the commission and its 'birth'." As for other specifics of what the archbishop's exact role will be, no information was released.