Cardinal Ratzinger appointment

CARDINAL Joseph Ratzinger, the 54-year-old Archbishop of Munich, has been appointed by the Pope to head the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. This is one of the most important of the organisations that guide the affairs of the Church, since it is responsible for safeguarding matters of faith and morals as, in effect, a disciplinary body. It replaced the old Holy Office.
As Prefect of the Congregation. Cardinal Ratzinger succeeds the Yugoslav Cardinal Franjo Seper. who, according to Vatican sources, is retiring because of his age.
Cardinal Ratzinger is a theologian, widely regarded as a traditionalist. He became prominent as theological adviser to the Archbishop of Cologne. Cardinal Frings, and later played a notable role in Pope John XXIll's Second Vatican Council in 1962. He is a member of the Church's International Theologial Commission and of its Secretariat for Christian Unity.