Statement of Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, on the appointment of Fr. Manuel Dorantes to Laudato si’ Centre post in Rome
When Pope Francis published the encyclical letter Laudato si’ he both sounded the alarm about our warming planet and made clear the moral imperative to act in its defense.
He designated the papal property at Castel Gandolfo as the Laudato si’ Centre for Higher Education, a place where its principles could be demonstrated and human dignity could be developed to its full potential.
Today, Pope Francis named a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, Fr. Manuel Dorantes, as Administrative-Management Director of the Centre. A son of Mexico who came to the United States at the age of 11, Fr. Dorantes pursued his vocation as a teenager living in a new country, led two parishes to revitalization and completed an advanced business degree at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. We are proud the Holy Father chose him for this important work. He has both the heart to understand the experience of migrants and the tools to help create solutions.
We wish Fr. Dorantes well as he takes up his new position and pray that his efforts lead to the full realization of the Holy Father’s vision.
