Pope Francis names new President of Governorate of Vatican City State

On Oct. 1, Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, 78, will no longer be the President of the Governorate of Vatican City State.

It's a position he held for 10 years.

-“Your Holiness.”
-“You've lost weight. Are you on a diet?”
-“No, no.”
-“You work too much.”

The new president will be Spanish archbishop, Fernando Vérgez. This Legionary of Christ is 76 years old and has been working at the Vatican since 1972.

ABP. FERNANDO VÉRGEZ
Secretary General, Governorate of Vatican City-State
“(At the Vatican, we've pushed for initiatives) including recycling residues, respecting green spaces, saving water and energy. We've bet on renewable energy sources and avoided greenhouse gas effects. We've gone for minimum atmospheric contamination by promoting electric transport and the use of environmentally friendly pesticides and fertilizers that respect the Earth and its fruits.”

Abp. Fernando Vérgez will be in charge of civil matters affecting Vatican territory. This includes working closely with law enforcement, the courts and telecommunications.

The Pope also named a new second-in-command for the Congregation for the Clergy. He is Fr. Andrés Ferrada. He is 52 years old, from Chile and has been working in the Congregation since 2018.

He will work with the new prefect, Abp. Lazarus You Heung-Sik, in this department, which oversees the world's more than 400,000 priests.

JMB

TR: CT