.- Today Archbishop Angelo Amato was appointed by the Holy Father as prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The archbishop will also be raised to a cardinal during the next consistory.
He will succeed Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins (76) who, according to Canon Law, has reached the age of retirement.
Born in 1938, Amato was ordained a priest in 1967 in the Order of the Salesians of St. John Bosco. He was appointed by John Paul II to become the bishop of the Italian Diocese of Sila in 2002 and has also held the position of secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith since December 2002.
As prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Archbishop Amato will oversee the process or canonization – approving miracles, martyrdom, and heroic virtue - and present the congregations findings to the Pope.
Along with Archbishop Amato, former St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke is also expected to be raised to a cardinal during the next consistory.
