.- Pope John Paul II appointed Fr. Michael Miller, C.S.B., President of St. Thomas University in Houston, U.S.A., as the new Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education.
Fr. Miller, who will be consecrated Archbishop, will replace Archbishop Giuseppe Pittau, a Jesuit and former Rector of the Gregorian University, whose resignation was presented upon having reached the age limit.
The Archbishop-elect was born in Ottawa, Canada on July 9, 1946. He was ordained a priest on June 29, 1975 after graduating in Theology at St. Michael’s College in Toronto.
In 1976 he obtained a licentiate summa cum laude in Dogmatic Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian in Rome and in 1979, he completed his doctorate also summa cum laude.
He has been professor of Dogmatic Theology at St. Thomas Aquinas University in Houston (Texas) (1979-1987); Vice-President of the Academy at the same University (1987-1992); official at the Vatican’s Secretary of State (1992-1997); and since 1997 was President of the St. Thomas Aquinas University.
He is a member of the Congregation of St. Basil, whose main charisma is the education of the youth.
Among other writings, he has published: “The Shepherd and the Rock,” “Development and Mission of the Papacy,” “The Encyclicals of John Paul II,” “The Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortations of John Paul II,” “Life’s Greatest Grace,” “What we believe about the Saints,” “Marian apparitions and the Church.”
Early this year, on the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, he delivered a highly commented pro-life homily at League City in Texas.
The Archbishop-elect speaks French, Italian and Spanish. He also reads Latin and German.
Council for the Laity
The Pope also appointed Fr. Josef Clemens, undersecretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, as the new Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Laity, elevating him to the dignity of bishop.
The Bishop-elect was born in 1947 in Siegen (Germany) and was ordained a priest in 1975 for the German diocese of Paderborn.
He has been personal Secretary of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Bishop-elect Clemens replaces Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, who was recently appointed President of the same Dicastery.
Finally, the Pope also appointed Archbishop Erwin Josef Ender, Apostolic nuncio in the Czech Republic, as apostolic nuncio in Germany.
