The new president of Communion and Liberation has a surprising background: He is married with four children and is an expert in nanomedicine at the Bicoca University of Milan.
Davide Prosperi was the movement's number two, and will now lead the organization for a least a year following the former president's resignation.
The move was announced by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is in charge of coordinating the Church's lay organizations. He has asked Prosperi to coordinate the revision process of Communion and Liberation's statutes to ensure that the movement 'continues to be nourished' and that its activities are not suspended.
This is how Davide Prosperi spoke about the movement six years ago.
DAVIDE PROSPERI
(March 2015)
'We have discovered through other people who God really is. He has the answer to the yearning of the heart. Everyone, from any place or circumstance, feels that yearning and feels that truth when it touches their heart. This is our experience.'
The former president, Fr. Julián Carrón, was the first leader of Communion and Liberation to resign after the Holy See's decision to limit the governing terms of lay movements to two five-year terms.
Communion and Liberation, known as CL, is one of the largest Catholic movements, and is present in over 90 countries worldwide.
It was founded in Italy by Fr. Luigi Giussani in the 1950's, and promotes an educational approach to the faith which emphasizes the humanizing capacity of Christianity.
JMB
TR: JM