On behalf of our country’s Catholic Bishops and all the faithful of our Church in Canada, I wish to congratulate Dr. John F. Kyle for his appointment by the Holy Father this past weekend to the Council for the Economy of the Holy See. The Holy See’s Press Office has also announced that the Council is a key step towards the consolidation of the existing management structures of the Holy See, and thus is intended to improve the coordination and supervision of its economic and administrative issues.
Dr. Kyle brings significant experience and expertise with his appointment. He has been a member of the Council of International Auditors of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See since 2005; is a former Vice President and Treasurer of Imperial Oil Limited in Canada; was a member of the Finance Council of the Archdiocese of Toronto, as well as a member and chair of the audit committee of the Board of Catholic Cemeteries of Toronto. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute in Toronto, and has served on the Board of Directors of St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto, including being the Chair of the Board, and a member of the board of directors of The St. Joseph’s Health Centre Foundation, Toronto. Dr. Kyle has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin.
Dr. Kyle’s appointment follows that of His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, whom Pope Francis earlier this year named to the Commission of Cardinals responsible for overseeing the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR, which is commonly though inaccurately referred to as the “Vatican Bank”).
With these important steps, our Holy Father is ensuring the transparency and efficiency of the structures of the Holy See which are to serve the Church throughout the world. In effect, the Holy See is the world’s oldest charitable institution, and assists the Bishop of Rome in his universal ministry of communion and charity.
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops thanks the Holy Father for these two appointments, and every effort he is making to renew the Church and its members. We are most grateful for the generous assistance that Cardinal Collins and Dr. Kyle are contributing to this renewal. We assure them, and Pope Francis, of our prayers and collaboration in their efforts.
+ Paul-André Durocher
Archbishop of Gatineau and
President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
March 10, 2014