Fernández Charts New, Uncertain Course for Vatican's Doctrinal Office

When Pope Francis tapped Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández to head the Vatican's doctrinal office on July 1, 2023, he wasn't just naming his longtime Argentine theological adviser to one of the church's most powerful roles. He was also reenvisioning how that department would operate in the modern world and attempting to ensure that his reforms might outlast his own papacy.