VATICAN CITY, JUNE 26, 2012 (Zenit.org).- The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith today issued a comment about the appointment of Archbishop Augustine Di Noia as vice president of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, the commission charged with the efforts to bring about reconciliation with the Society of St. Pius X.
«The appointment of a high-ranking prelate to this position is a sign of the Holy Father’s pastoral solicitude for traditionalist Catholics in communion with the Holy See and his strong desire for the reconciliation of those traditionalist communities not in union with the See of Peter,» the statement from the doctrinal congregation declared.
The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei was established in 1988 by John Paul II to facilitate ‘full ecclesial communion of priests, seminarians, religious communities or individuals until now linked in various ways to the Fraternity founded by Archbishop Lefebvre’ and to promote the pastoral care of the faithful attached to the ancient Latin liturgical tradition of the Catholic Church. In 2009, the Pontifical Commission was structurally linked to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to address the doctrinal issues in the ongoing dialogue between the Holy See and the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X.
«As a respected Dominican theologian, Archbishop Di Noia has devoted much attention to these doctrinal issues, as well as to the priority of the hermeneutic of continuity and reform in the right interpretation of Vatican Council II – a critically important area in the dialogue between the Holy See and the Priestly Fraternity,» the statement noted.
Archbishop Di Noia previously served as secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments.
«Archbishop Di Noia’s experience and continued association with the Congregation for Divine Worship will facilitate the development of certain desired liturgical provisions in the celebration of the 1962 ‘Missale Romanum,'» the congregation continued.
«In addition, the broad respect that Archbishop Di Noia enjoys in the Jewish community will help in addressing some issues that have arisen in the area of Catholic-Jewish relations as the journey towards the reconciliation of traditionalist communities has progressed.»
