Pope Francis has appointed Monsignor John Joseph Kennedy, currently secretary of the disciplinary section of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, as titular bishop of Ossero, Croatia, conferring upon him the personal title of archbishop.

The Holy Father has also appointed Monsignor Philippe Curbelié, undersecretary of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, as titular bishop of Utica, Tunisia.

This dicastery, one of the most important in the Vatican, established by Pope Paul III in 1542 to preserve the deposit of faith and the magisterium, is currently headed by Argentine Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez.

Other members of the dicastery are the secretary of the doctrinal section, Monsignor Armando Matteo; the adjunct secretary, Archbishop Charles Jude Scicluna; and the promoter of justice, Father Robert Joseph Geisinger.

Msgr. Philippe Curbelié

Msgr. Curbelié was born on Aug. 13, 1968, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, and was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Toulouse on April, 30, 1995. He holds a licentiate in philosophy and a doctorate in dogmatic theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

He has held the following positions in his archdiocese: parochial vicar, spiritual director of the Pius XI University Seminary and St. Cyprien Seminary, and professor of dogmatic theology at the Catholic Institute, where he was also dean of the theology department.

He was also a member of the governing council of the Holy See Agency for the Evaluation and Promotion of the Quality in Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties.

Since September 2012 he has been an official of the Dicastery for Culture and Education and undersecretary of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith since July 2022.

Msgr. John Joseph Kennedy

Msgr. Kennedy, 53, was born in Dublin on July 15, 1968. He was ordained a priest on July 13, 1993.

He obtained a licentiate and doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University.

Since 2003 he has been an official of the Congregation (now Dicastery) for the Doctrine of the Faith and since 2017 he has been the head of the disciplinary section of the same dicastery.

He has been the secretary for the disciplinary section of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith since April 2022.