A Thomist Bishop for Switzerland

On November 4th, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI announced that Dominican philosopher and theologian, Fr. Charles Morerod, will be the new bishop of the Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg.  The Episcopal Consecration will take place on December 11th in Switzerland.

Here is a short summary of his many publications and ecclesial appointments:

Bishop-elect Morerod entered the Dominican Order in 1983 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1988 in the city of Geneva, of his native country Switzerland. He holds the degrees of licientiate in philosophy and theology and a doctorate in theology from University of Fribourg in Switzerland, and holds a doctorate in philosophy from the Institut Catholique in Toulouse, France.

He is the author of some eight books, and has published over 100 hundred scholarly articles or chapters in books that have been published in at least five different languages. His first book, Cajetan et Luther en 1518 (1994), makes a substantial contribution to ecumenical studies and the Cajetan scholarship. Two of his books have been translated into English and published by Sapientia Press of Ave Maria University: Ecumenism and Philosophy: Philosophical Questions for a Renewal of Dialogue (2006) and The Church and the Human Quest for Truth (2008).

Bishop-elect Morerod holds several posts to which he has been either elected or appointed.  Since 2001 he has been a member of the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), and since 2005 he has been a member of The Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue Between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches; in 2008 he was appointed to the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas; Bishop-elect Morerod is a consultor for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and in 2009 he was appointed Secretary General of the International Theological Commission; In September of 2009 Fr. Morerod was elected Rector of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, where he has taught since 1996 and held, prior to his election as Rector, the positions of Vice-Dean of the Theology Department, and Dean of Philosophy.

Last, and most likely least, Bishop-elect Morerod was my teacher and dissertation director.