Vatican City, Jul 9, 2008 / 11:10 am (CNA).- The Vatican announced this morning that the Pope has appointed Fr. Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer S.J. as the new secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to fill the spot left vacant by the appointment of Archbishop Angelo Amato as the head of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

Fr. Ladaria Ferrer, S.J. was born in Mallorca, Spain on April 19, 1944, graduated with a degree in Law from the Madrid University in 1966 and joined the Society of Jesus on October 17,1966.

He completed his philosophical and theological studies at the Pontifical Comillas University in Madrid and at the Philosophisch- theologische Hochschule Sankt Georgen in   Frankfurt, Germany.

He was ordained a priest on July 29, 1973 and obtained his Doctorate in Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in 1975.

In 1975 became a professor of Dogmatic Theology at the Pontifical University of Comillas in Madrid, and in 1984 became a professor of Dogmatic Theology at the Gregorian University.

Fr. Ladaria Ferrer has also served as the Vice Rector of the Gregorian from 1986 to 1994, a member of the International Theological Commission from 1992 to 1997, a consultant for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith since 1995 and since 2004 he has been the Secretary of the International Theological Commission.

03:07 pm | Spouse of Costa Rican presidential candidate 'pockets' Eucharist

02:15 pm | Vatican responds to widely divergent reports on Boffo resignation

12:56 pm | Venezuelan cardinal calls for new evangelization of country's capital

11:11 am | International congress to focus on priestly identity and celibacy

07:10 am | Former Saints star says Super Bowl victory revealed a ‘team with destiny’

Pope Benedict appoints Salesian as prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints

Holy Father appoints new bishop to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands

Baltimore bishop to become next bishop of Wilmington, Delaware

Holy Father announces Canadian bishop appointments