VATICAN CITY, MAY 22, 2009 (Zenit.org).- A decree from the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life appointed Bishop Jesús Sanz Montes as the papal commissioner for the Lumen Dei Union.
A press release from the Diocese of Huesca, Spain, reported Wednesday that the responsibility entrusted to Bishop Sanz Montes of Huesca and of Jaca is «indefinite and has the rights and faculties of superior-general.»
The statement explained, «This is an exceptional measure by which, in special circumstances, and when serious reasons require it, the Church appoints a papal commissioner, that in its name temporarily directs the association.»
Bishop Sanz Montes replaces Archbishop Fernando Sebastián Aguilar who resigned from the position.
Archbishop Aguilar was appointed as papal commissioner for the union on May 15, 2008, when the Holy See issued a mandate ending the leadership of the Lumen Dei president and general council.
The religious association is made up of priests, consecrated women religious and laypeople.
It was founded in the 1960s by Spanish Father Rodrigo Molina Rodríguez and a group of laymen in Peru. Today Lumen Dei is present in the United States, Spain and numerous Latin American countries.
