Pope names Spaniard to succeed Cardinal Arinze at worship congregation
(December 10, 2008) Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of Nigerian Cardinal
Francis Arinze as prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments
and has named Spanish Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera of Toledo to succeed him.
Announcing the changes December 9, the Vatican said Cardinal Arinze was retiring after
six years as head of the congregation and a total of 23 years at the Vatican. Cardinal
Canizares, 63, is a specialist in catechesis and has served as a member of the Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith since 1995. Born in Utiel, Spain, Oct. 15, 1945, Cardinal
Canizares was ordained in 1970. Appointed bishop of Avila in March 1992, he drafted
documents for the Spanish bishops' conference on subjects ranging from ecclesiology
and the sacraments to sexual and medical ethics. He was named archbishop of Granada
in December 1996 and was transferred to Toledo six years later. From 2005 until earlier
this year, he served as vice president of the Spanish bishops' conference. He has
served in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Pontifical Commission
Ecclesia Dei. Pope Benedict named him a cardinal in 2006.