New Head of Pontifical Academy for Life Named

The appointment comes on the heels of his hosting a congress on the 40th anniversary of the encyclical letter Humanae Vitae May 8-10.

ROME (LifeSiteNews) - Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Bishop Salvatore (Rino) Fisichella, auxiliary of Rome and rector of the city's Pontifical Lateran University, as president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop.

The former president of the Academy, Bishop Elio Sgreccia, had reached the required age for retirement, 75.

Fisichella, 57, who assisted along with then-Cardinal Ratzinger in preparing Pope John Paul II's encyclical Fides et Ratio, is a familiar face in Vatican circles.

The appointment comes on the heels of his hosting a congress on the 40th anniversary of the encyclical letter Humanae Vitae May 8-10.

The newly appointed Archbishop is no stranger to the controversy he will undoubtedly face in his new role.

Last year the diocese of Rome refused a Catholic funeral for Piergiorgio Welby, a man who advocated for assisted suicide. Welby had muscular dystrophy and requested that he be disconnected from his respirator. While the courts refused his request an Italian doctor nevertheless acceded.

Fisichella was quoted in the papers saying that he would pray for Welby, "that God may accompany him in mercy after Welby suffered so much and for so long," adding that he would "also ask our Lord to forgive those who killed Welby."

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The information from the book, Parenting with Respect and Peacefulness was made available to Catholic Online by permission of the author, Louise Dietzel. The book may be ordered at (www.louisedietzelparenting.com).