Pope Francis has chosen a Jesuit priest as the Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy of the Holy See.
Father Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves is scheduled to take office in January 2020. Normally the head of such a top Vatican office would also be named a bishop, but the Jesuit Superior General, Father Arturo Sosa, asked the pope not to elevate the new prefect to the episcopate so he could return to normal Jesuit ministry after his service in the Roman Curia.
The Secretariat for the Economy has been without a prefect since last year when its former head, Cardinal George Pell, was charged and found guilty on five counts of sexual assault on two minors.
Father Guerrero, 60, is the Delegate for Interprovincial Houses and Works of the Society of Jesus in Rome. He is also a General Councillor.
“As a Jesuit, it is a joy to receive a mission directly from the pope. It is a privileged way to realize my vocation,” the newly named prefect told Vatican News.
“The obedience I profess has always led me along unexpected paths, led me where I would never have dared to venture. And so, I am grateful. Obedience is, for me, a privileged place of encounter with the Lord,” he said. Continue reading