Catholic World News : Chief Vatican liturgist replaced

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Chief Vatican liturgist replaced

Vatican, Oct. 1, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) has replaced Archbishop Piero Marini, the longtime director of office of papal liturgies.

Archbishop Marini, who has coordinated papal liturgical celebrations since 1987, has become a familiar face to millions of Catholics, appearing regularly beside Pope John Paul II (bio - news) and then Pope Benedict XVI at papal ceremonies.

Once a private secretary to Archbishop Annibale Bugnini, the chief architect of the liturgical reforms following Vatican II, Archbishop Marini was also a lightning-rod for controversy because of his penchant for liturgical innovation. Since the election of Benedict XVI as Supreme Pontiff in April 2005, Vatican-watchers had speculated that Archbishop Marini would be replaced by someone more sympathetic to the new Pope's own more traditional approach to the liturgy.

Confirming reports that had circulated early in September, Pope Benedict named another cleric with the same surname-- Father Guido Marini of the Genoa archdiocese-- to become the new master of ceremonies for papal liturgies.

The incoming chief liturgist for the Vatican, Father Guido Marini, has been serving as chancellor and chief liturgist for the Archdiocese of Genoa. In those capacities he served closely with the former archbishop-- and current Vatican Secretary of State-- Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone (bio - news).

The outgoing liturgist, Archbishop Piero Marini, has been appointed by the Pope to become the new president of the pontifical committee for International Eucharistic Congresses. In that role he replaces Cardinal Jozef Tomko, who is retiring at the age of 83.

Born in Slovakia, Cardinal Tomko was ordained as a priest of the Rome diocese in 1949. He has served for years at the Vatican in a variety of posts, including a term from 1985 to 2001 as prefect of the Congregation for Evangelization.