VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis has elevated a longtime friend and collaborator who once wrote a book about kissing to a key role inside the Vatican, sparking controversy on social media.
Francis made the announcement on Friday that Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández of La Plata, Argentina, would serve as the new Prefect of the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF). Fernandez will officially take the position in mid-September.
Considered one of the top religious positions at the Vatican, the prefect is responsible for preserving Catholic doctrine in line with 2,000 years of history and tradition as well as evaluating disciplinary action against clergy through Canon Law (the law of the Catholic Church).
Fernandez, 60, succeeds Cardinal Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, SJ, who has held the position since 2017. The late Pope Benedict XVI also served as prefect from 1981 to 2005.
Archbishop Fernandez is known to be a close collaborator of Pope Francis and supported the drafting of some of the Pope’s most well-known written works, including Laudato Si (his book on care of the poor, the environment and ecology), and — most notably — Amoris Laetitia (On Pastoral Care of Families).
Issued in 2016, Amoris Laetitia was Pope Francis’ document following the conclusion of his “Synod on the Family” — a series of meetings of the world’s bishops addressing modern challenges within families. His document included footnotes, however, that addressed providing the Sacraments to couples living in “irregular” unions, outside the bonds of Holy Matrimony, opening the way to divorced and remarried couples, along with others in “irregular” unions. This resulted in outcry from conservatives within the Church, who pointed to doctrine on the indissolubility of the Sacrament of Marriage between one woman and one man.
Four leading Cardinals, one of them an American, issued public “dubia,” or doubts, directly challenging the Pope, to which he has never formally responded.
Fernandez is a prolific writer, having written over 300 articles and books. But notably missing from a partial list of his works attached to the official announcement of his appointment was a 1995 book on kissing, titled “Heal Me With Your Mouth. The Art of Kissing.”
“This book was not written based on my own experience, but based on the lives of people who kiss,” Fernandez wrote. “In these pages I want to synthesize the popular feeling, what people feel when they think of a kiss, what mortals experience when they kiss. For that I chatted at length with many people who have abundant experience in this area, and also with many young people who learn to kiss in their own way…”
In his letter accompanying the announcement, Pope Francis acknowledged the challenges faced by the DDF and expressed his expectations for Archbishop Fernández’s tenure.
“The Dicastery over which you will preside in other times came to use immoral methods. Those were times when, rather than promoting theological knowledge, possible doctrinal errors were pursued. What I expect from you is undoubtedly something very different,” Francis wrote.
He also highlighted the importance of embracing “modern” and diverse perspectives within the Church. He encouraged Archbishop Fernández to foster an environment where different lines of philosophical, theological, and pastoral thought would be welcomed.
“For ‘different lines of philosophical, theological and pastoral thought, if they allow themselves to be harmonized by the Spirit in respect and love, can also make the Church grow. This harmonious growth will preserve Christian doctrine more effectively than any mechanism of control,'” the pope wrote.
The Pope further emphasized that the Church should encourage theologians’ charism (or inspiration/gift/anointing) and theological research. He urged Archbishop Fernández to avoid a “desk theology” approach, stating, “they are not content with a desk theology, a cold and hard logic that seeks to dominate everything.” Fernandez is to ensure, the pope writes, that all prior teachings “are coherent with the rich humus of the Church’s perennial teaching and at the same time embrace the recent Magisterium.”
Pope Francis also reminded Archbishop Fernández of the primary purpose of the DDF, which is to guard the faith — and instructed him not be distracted by scandals.
“Given that for disciplinary matters — related especially to the abuse of minors — a specific Section has recently been created with very competent professionals, I ask you as Prefect to dedicate your personal commitment in a more direct way to the main purpose of the Dicastery which is to ‘guard the faith,’” he wrote.
In addition to his position as Prefect of the DDF, Fernandez will also become the President of the Pontifical Biblical Commission and the President of the International Theological Commission.