Catholic World News News Feature

Spanish archbishop named to traditional Vatican post of almoner August 01, 2007

Pope Benedict XVI has chosen a Spanish archbishop to fill the ancient office of almoner, handling the minor charitable affairs of the papacy.

Archbishop Felix del Blanco Prieto, a veteran of the Vatican diplomatic corps, was named to head the Office of Papal Charities, replacing Archbishop Oscar Rizzato, who retired at the age of 78.

The almoner responds, in the Pope's name, to requests for assistance received from individuals. He also supervises the charitable agencies within the Vatican, such as the pediatric clinic there. The office can be traced back to the 13th century, when the almoner was appointed to care for the many poor people who came to the Vatican for material assistance. The Office of Papal Charities is distinct from the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, which handles large-scale relief efforts on behalf of the Pontiff.

The new almoner, Archbishop Blanco Prieto, was serving as apostolic nuncio in Libya and Malta when he was named to the Vatican post. He had previously represented the Holy See in Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, and Angola. His predecessor Archbishop Rizzato, a priest of the Padua, Italy diocese, had been named almoner by Pope John Paul II in 1989.