Pope Francis has named British sociologist and professor, Margaret Archer, president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.
She is the second female president of the papal academy and succeeds US law professor and former US ambassador to the Vatican, Mary Ann Glendon, who served two five-year terms as head of the academy from 2004 to 2014. The Vatican made the announcement on Saturday.
Archer, who was born in 1943, has been a member of the pontifical academy since its establishment in 1994.
A prolific author, Archer has published works focusing on solidarity and subsidiarity; culture and social theory; human agency and identity; and education. She studied sociology and social science at the London School of Economics and the Sorbonne in Paris. She had been teaching at the University of Warwick since 1979 before recently joining the College of Humanities as Chair in Social Theory at the Ecole Polytechnique in Lausanne, Switzerland.
She was elected the first female president of the International Sociological Association, leading the international organisation from 1986 to 1990.
Also on Saturday, the Vatican announced the Pope had confirmed Msgr Guido Marini as master of papal liturgical ceremonies.
The Italian monsignor holds degrees in canon law and in psychology and served as master of ceremonies to four archbishops of Genoa, including Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the former Vatican secretary of state. He also had served as Cardinal Bertone’s private secretary.
Benedict XVI named Msgr Marini to be master of papal liturgical ceremonies in 2007.
COMMENT POLICY
The Catholic Herald comment guidelines At The Catholic Herald we want our articles to provoke spirited and lively debate. We also want to ensure the discussions hosted on our website are carried out in civil terms. All commenters are therefore politely asked to ensure that their posts respond directly to points raised in the particular article or by fellow contributors, and that all responses are respectful. We implement a strict moderation policy and reserve the right to delete comments that we believe contravene our guidelines. Here are a few key things to bear in mind when commenting…
•Do not make personal attacks on writers or fellow commenters – respond only to their arguments. •Comments that are deemed offensive, aggressive or off topic will be deleted. •Unsubstantiated claims and accusations about individuals or organisations will be deleted. •Keep comments concise. Comments of great length may be deleted. •We try to vet every comment, however if you would like to alert us to a particular posting please use the ‘Report’ button. Thank you for your co-operation, The Catholic Herald editorial team
Areas of Catholic Herald business are still recovering post-pandemic.
However, we are reaching out to the Catholic community and readership, that has been so loyal to the Catholic Herald. Please join us on our 135 year mission by supporting us.
We are raising £250,000 to safeguard the Herald as a world-leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching.
We have been a bold and influential voice in the church since 1888, standing up for traditional Catholic culture and values. Please consider donating.