New Prefect for CDWDS announced

[Southern Comfort]

Today at 11am Roman time Cardinal Robert Sarah was announced as the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments.

A native of French Guinea with 22 years' pastoral experience, he has recently been President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum which deals with charitable works (Catholic relief) on behalf of the Vatican. This council is due to be merged into a larger justice and peace dicastery under the reorganisation of the Curia, and so the Cardinal has been given a new job within the Curia.

He is thought to be traditionalist in his views, and is sympathetic to the Extraordinary Form, but apparently prefers to take a low-key role behind the scenes. It is said that he is fluent in English as well as French and Italian.

[HallamPhil]

Traditionalist is what they said of Romero before he showed different colours. People can change so I'll be patient and see how things work out.

[alan29]

Its OK, he'll be balanced out by the modernising Arthur Roche.

[mcb]

He is thought to be traditionalist in his views, and is sympathetic to the Extraordinary Form

I don't know that he is really either. No sign of being a traditionalist in the headbanger SSPX-sympathiser sense. He's a social and doctrinal conservative, which is something quite different - he had plenty to say about the recent synod, I seem to remember. As for sympathy to the EF, I think I read that he's not recorded as ever having celebrated or attended an EF celebration in modern times. He addressed a pilgrimage of EF enthusiasts recently, which I suppose may be an indicator though.

More interesting that the CDW appointee comes from a background of leadership in missionary and charitable work. Maybe this is Pope Francis's way of telling liturgy warriors to get a life.

[Southern Comfort]

He is thought to be traditionalist in his views, and is sympathetic to the Extraordinary Form

As for sympathy to the EF, I think I read that he's not recorded as ever having celebrated or attended an EF celebration in modern times. He addressed a pilgrimage of EF enthusiasts recently, which I suppose may be an indicator though.

A report that I read yesterday indicated that he normally only celebrates in the EF. No doubt the truth lies somewhere between the two. He did address that EF enthusiasts' pilgrimage, but I believe he and George Pell were significantly absent from their EF celebration of Mass. A photograph of Sarah wearing a modified cappa magna has been widely circulated online since the announcement.

[IncenseTom]

As it seems Cardinal Sarah isn't so easily put into the 'pro-EF' or 'anti-EF' box, perhaps it's just that he's a Cardinal who treats both forms of Mass equally as all prelates are supposed to?

My understanding of Summorum Pontificum is that the EF is just as normal/valid as the OF, rather than it being 'special' or 'allowed in addition to the OF'. (I don't think the phrase 'Extraordinary Form' helps)

Therefore, while neither a promoter nor a critic of the EF, Cardinal Sarah seems like a sound choice.

Imagine, we could have had Cardinal Burke on the one side, or Cardinal Marini on the other. Both would have been a disaster, whatever your liturgical view, solely because they would have caused division between rival camps. From what I've read so far, I can't envisage the same level of division coming from Cardinal Sarah's appointment.
Deo gratias.