One of the top positions at the Vatican has been given to an Argentine theologian and prolific writer who published a book on the therapeutic benefits of kissing decades ago.
The 60-year-old Fernandez served as the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina’s rector in the past and is the author of around 300 publications and papers. He also served as the department’s dean of theology.
In a statement released by the Vatican on Saturday, Francis announced his choice of Victor Manuel Fernandez, an archbishop from Argentina, to lead the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF).
Francis said in his letter to Fernandez that the division had previously employed “immoral methods” and had erred on the side of doctrine, an apparent allusion to the Inquisition, which was notorious for torturing and carrying out executions in Medieval times.
The DDF, a modern-day version of the renowned Inquisition that hunted down heretics, is responsible with advancing and defending morality and religious dogma. It provides direction, clarifications, and corrections while also keeping an eye out for theological research to make sure it follows Church doctrine.
Prior to becoming Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger served in the influential position of DDF prefect for 23 years.
He wrote “Heal Me With Your Mouth – The Art of Kissing,” a book in 1995 while he was a 33-year-old priest, and it was released in English in 1996.
The author states in the beginning “that this book wasn’t written based on my personal observations, but based on the daily lives of people who kiss” and that he also intended to focus on what poets have written about kissing.
In the book, Fernandez stated that “the kiss is a meeting of both of them in a moment in which there is nothing else besides them, and none else matters.”
The incomplete list of his books that the Vatican released along with the announcement of the appointment did not include the .
Francis is anticipated to promote Fernandez to the rank of cardinal at some point following his appointment to the position in September because the post of prefect of the DDF is customarily a cardinal.
Francis follows Spanish Jesuit Cardinal Luis Francisco Ladaria, whose term is coming to an end.