December 17, 2008

Pope names Spaniard to succeed Cardinal Arinze at worship congregation

VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze as prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments and has named Spanish Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera of Toledo to succeed him. Announcing the changes Dec. 9, the Vatican said Cardinal Arinze was retiring after six years as head of the congregation and a total of 23 years at the Vatican. Cardinal Canizares, 63, is a specialist in catechesis and has served as a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith since 1995. Born in Utiel, Spain, Oct. 15, 1945, Cardinal Canizares was ordained in 1970. Appointed bishop of Avila in March 1992, he drafted documents for the Spanish bishops’ conference on subjects ranging from ecclesiology and the sacraments to sexual and medical ethics. He was named archbishop of Granada in December 1996 and was transferred to Toledo six years later. From 2005 until earlier this year, he served as vice president of the Spanish bishops’ conference. Pope Benedict named him a cardinal in 2006.