Two former pontiffs have hailed from Milan in the past century, Pope Pius XI and Pope Paul VIMilan (ANTARA News) - Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday made Venice patriarch Cardinal Angelo Scola Milan`s new archbishop, one of the key posts in the Italian Catholic church.
The 69-year-old prelate is a theologian like Benedict and is considered one of his closest advisers among Italian prelates. He is known for his scholarly interest in Islam and his outreach to Muslim and Orthodox Christian communities.
AKI told, Scola succeeds Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, who at 77 has reached retirement age.
The northern city of Milan is Europe's largest archdiocese, Italy's financial capital and a major cultural centre. Two former pontiffs have hailed from Milan in the past century, Pope Pius XI and Pope Paul VI.
Scola is considered one of the Catholic church`s least "clerical" cardinals. As a young man was considered close to the anti-Communist Italian lay ecclesial movement Communione e Liberazione.
He was viewed as a possible contender for the papacy when Benedict was elected in 2005 after Pope John Paul II`s death.
(ANT.A045)
Editor: Ade P Marboen
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
