VATICAN CITY, OCT. 13, 2003 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II named Monsignor Mauro Piacenza, undersecretary of the Congregation for Clergy, as the new president of the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Goods of the Church.
He succeeds Cardinal-designate Francesco Marchisano, whose resignation was accepted today by the Pope. Cardinal-designate Marchisano, 74, who will continue as archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, will receive his red hat in the Oct. 21 consistory.
Monsignor Piacenza will be ordained bishop in virtue of his new appointment, the Vatican press office said.
Born in Genoa, Italy, on Sept. 15, 1944, Mauro Piacenza was ordained a priest in 1969. He holds a licentiate in canon law and has worked in the Congregation for Clergy since 1990.
John Paul II established the cultural-goods commission in 1993, substituting the Pontifical Commission for Preserving the Patrimony of Art and History, which had been set up five years earlier within the Congregation for Clergy.
The cultural-goods commission thus became an independent organization with its own president. Yet it maintained the same duties, including presiding over the guardianship of the historical and artistic patrimony of the entire Church — works of art, historical documents, books and everything kept in museums, libraries and archives.
The commission has 16 members and 23 consultors. It has been assigned the task of examining further the issue of copyrights and intellectual property rights, in order to apply a standard discipline in this area to all Holy See organizations, and to provide guidance for individual Churches who request one.
