Vatican City, Feb 10, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Pope John Paul II appointed to Eastern European Archbishops to key roles in the Roman Curia.
The Pope accepted the resignation of Spanish Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo as head of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, and appointed as his replacement Archbishop Franc Rodé, of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Archbishop Rodé was born in Ljubljana on September 23, 1934 and was ordained a priest for the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians) on June 29, 1960. On March 5, 1997 he was appointed Archbishop of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and two years later, elected President of the Slovenian Bishops' Conference.
Archbishop Rodé has played a key role in both consolidating Slovenia's transition to democracy and defending the rights of Catholics to receive religious education in public schools.