Pope Francis names secretary-general for Economy Secretariat

Vatican City, 4 March 2014: Pope Francis has appointed on Monday Monsignor Alfred Xuereb as the prelate secretary-general of the Economy Secretariat. The Secretariat’s Prefect is Australian Cardinal George Pell, who was appointed on 24 February. Monsignor Xuereb is the private secretary of Pope Francis, and served as the deputy private secretary to Pope Benedict XVI until he retired.

Pope Francis established the Secretariat for the Economy on 24 February 2014 by the motu proprio, ‘Fidelis et dispensator prudens’. According to the Apostolic letter, the Secretariat will report directly to the Holy Father and will undertake the economic audit and supervision of the Bodies indicated in point 1 above, along with the policies and procedures regarding procurement and the allocation of human resources, respecting the competences of each Body. The competence of the Secretariat will extend to all matters that in any way fall within this area.

Article 6 of the Apostolic Letter states that a Prelate Secretary- General has the task of helping the Cardinal Prefect.Source: VR Sedoc