Pope Francis on Tuesday
officially nominated Monsignor Corrado Lorefice as the new
archbishop of Palermo and Monsignor Matteo Zuppi as archbishop
of Bologna.
They take over from, respectively, Cardinal Paolo Romeo and
Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, who had reached the age of retirement.
Up to this point Lorefice, 53, has been serving as priest
in Modica in Sicily. Zuppi, 60, was an auxiliary bishop in
central Rome.
The nominations are being viewed as a break with the past,
partly due to the relatively young age of the new appointments,
compared to their predecessors who are both 77.
Lorefice and Zuppi are closely connected to Francis' aim to
build a "poor church for the poor". Lorefice, born in Ispica in
Sicily, has been active in the fight against Mafia mentality and
behaviour in his homeland.
He had been overlooked in the press, but managed to beat
more prestigious names to the Palermo post at Francis'
instigation.
Zuppi, a long-serving member of the Sant'Egidio charity, is
well-known for his efforts to help the poor and immigrants. He
was involved in the organisation's efforts to negotiate a
historic peace deal for Mozambique in 1992.
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