Slovenian cardinal-designate embraces traditional religious rebirth

Published: 2006-03-15

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Cardinal-designate Franc Rode heads the Vatican office that oversees religious orders, his latest job in a long series of positions at the Vatican and in his native Slovenia. He has enthusiastically embraced what he calls the "spiritual reform" agenda of Pope Benedict XVI and sees hope in the resurgence of tradition-oriented religious orders and movements around the world. The pope named the 71-year-old prelate, a member of the Vincentian religious order, as one of 15 new cardinals to be inducted in a consistory March 24. Cardinal-designate Rode has headed the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life since 2004, when he returned to the Vatican after seven years as archbishop of Ljubljana, Slovenia, his birthplace. In a recent interview with Catholic News Service, Archbishop Rode said he thinks Pope Benedict's top priority is the spiritual revitalization of the faith life of the church.

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