Benedict appoints close colleague to Milan

Pope Benedict has appointed Venice patriarch Cardinal Angelo Scola as archbishop of Milan on Tuesday, moving him to a high profile position in the Italian Catholic church.

The 69-year-old Scola is a theologian like Benedict and is considered one of his closest advisers among Italian prelates. He is known for his outreach to Muslim and Orthodox Christian communities, according to the Washington Post.

Scola made the announcement himself in Venice, saying “it’s not easy for me to give you this news. I accepted the decision of the pope because he’s the pope.”

Gerry O’Connell speaks to the Patriarch of Venice, Cardinal Angelo Scola  –  son of a socialist truck driver and a profoundly Catholic mother. He is also a leading intellectual in the Italian Bishops’ Conference and one of the more creative and original thinkers in the College of Cardinals.

Read Gerry O’Connell’s interview with the new archbishop of Milan.

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