A Chicago native who is an Augustinian priest and a bishop in Peru has been named the prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops.
Bishop Robert Francis Prevost O.S.A. will succeed Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, who at 78, has already tendered his resignation.
Bishop Prevost, 67, has been serving as apostolic administrator and then bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, since 2014.
He joined the Augustinian priests in his early 20s, and served as their Superior General from 2001-2013.
Cardinal Ouellet was chosen by Pope Benedict XVI in June 2010, and also named head of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America; Bishop Prevost now also takes that role.
The work of the 24 members of this dicastery includes evaluating the profile of priests or bishops for a diocese whose see is vacant. They rely heavily on the work done by the apostolic nuncios in the countries concerned, whose main mission is to submit three names to Rome for each diocese, which will form the ‘terna’ proposed to the Pope.
The dicastery also handles complaints and investigations into bishops.
