Francis has named Bishop Robert Francis Prevost, 67, of Chiclayo, Peru, as the new Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, replacing Cardinal Marc Ouellet, 78.
Prevost, a Chicago-born former Prior General of the Augustinians, had been a front-runner for a Curia post for several years. But the Chicago Sun-Times accused him of allowing a convicted paedophile to live in a monastery half a block from an elementary school where children are well protected.
According to PillarCatholic.com, Francis' preferred candidate was the dicastery's secretary, Ilson de Jesus Montanari, who turned down the appointment several times.
I read that liberals are shocked and stunned by this appointment. But that could be read two ways....either shocked good, or shocked bad. I hope they were shocked bad, but knowing Bergoglio, probably not.
Ouellett was replaced because he is guilty of the scandal now exploding in the press about him and sexual abuse of women. He's GUILTY. Provost, 67, an Augustinian, is probably a radical pro-homo Bergoglian. Ouellett had a "conservative" repotation totally undeserved. He was loyal 100% to Bergoglio. Perhaps I am wrong, but I expect Provost to be worse than Ouellett. The Augustinians of my geographical area, (Philadelphia suburbs), have their Provincial headquarters (St. Thomas of Villanova Province, embracing the entire East Coast of the USA) base at historic and renowned Villanova University. Huge monastery. In tis day, before Vatican II, the Province boasted 37 parishes, 3 highschools, 2 universities, 2 seminaries, 1 junior seminary and 1 large novitiate, and parishes/monasteries in both Cuba and Japan. All told, there were about 450 Augustinian priests in the province, 30 brothers, 200 seminarians, 65 novices and 80 postulants (1962).Most of the parishes were from Maine to Washington, DC....not many below that, and then several in Florida. Villanova University and Biscayne University in Fla. are run by the Augustinians. Before Castro in Cuba, they had several parishes and a college....all gone. Unfortunatly, the Augustinians world-wide in general went very progressive after Vatican II, and went down world-wide from about 4,800 friars, to around 2,350 today. The Saint Thomas of Villanova Province in the USA went down from 450 priests and about 30 brothers, to today's total of about 110 priests and 5 brothers, with a median age of 72. The St.Thomas of Villanova Province also is down to 6 parishes (37 before the disaster of Vatican II), 1 highschool, 2 universities, 0 seminaries, 0 junior seminaries, and 0 novitiate. The seminary they had on campus of Villanova, a beautiful building dedicated in 1961 to house 200 seminarians, had at it's peak 140. Then came Vatican II and it quickly collapsed. The large novitiate in New Hamburg, NY (a beautiful property), before Vatican II had 60+ novices each year, and 80 postulants. It closed in the early 1990's. The Augustinian Theological Seminary, on the campus of Catholic University in DC, had before Vatican II about 90 seminarians. It closed in the early 1990's as well. The Augustinians are still very liberal in general, and have largely collapsed all across Europe, and in the USA. Reflective of this is that the Augustinians had almost 300+ young men in training for the Order for the St. Thomas of Villanova Privince (East coast USA) alone prior to 1962. Today, they have a grand total of 3 men in training! I do not expect Provost will be a good appointment. He is probably a Bergoglian, and pro-homo.
@Aitor Baio Jilguero -Thank you very much for this info. I gotta say, that it shocked me. I don't think Provost is as bad as that, and I'm not sure if he is gay.....but having read your description of Montanari, I have a feeling that maybe he was blocked too, by perhaps a growing number of Cardinals and bishops who finally realize the filth the Bergoglio and his people represent. Unbelievable, that a Pope would want to promote to one of the highest offices in the Church a pervert like that!! I hope that Pedacchio , another homo, was not promoted to be a bishop of something.....but knowing Bergoglio it is possible. Thank you again for this info. Even I didn't think Francis was as bad as this. The Catholic Church desperatly needs to be rid of him and his people. It is unfortunate the Cardianls do not have the courage to en masse force him and his people out.
@Kenjiro M. Yoshimori I don't think actual guilt would be decisive for Francis. I am on the frence about the accusations honest. Ouellet was Conservative but in a careerist way. This ironically worked well with Bergoglio. But I do think he slowed bad things down honestly. Francis allowing him to stay on for so long to me confirms his lack of strategic planning. Provost doesn't have to be pro-homo perse. I think he is largely colourless. Seems like that is what Bergoglio currently prefers over radical leftists. Easy to control Centrists. Like what Malenkov was to Stalin. Provost it seems went soft on an accused priest, which is why Francis is further undermining himself with this I think. But I don't think he's a radical whom the Left is happy to see in office. Funny how slow Francis has been with now curial appointments. I suspected he'd do some of these replacements early this years a couple of weeks or months before exiting the stage.