The Benedictine monastery of Montecassino is now headed by an Italian after Pope Francis rejected a German candidate as abbot.

As the Vatican announced on Monday, the Pope appointed Father Antonio Luca Fallica as the new abbot. The 63-year-old religious previously headed a monastery in Dumenza, northern Italy.

As Archabbot of Montecassino, he is the 193rd successor of St. Benedict of Nursia, who is said to have founded the monastery in 529, according to tradition.

Thomas Jansen

Editor in Politics.

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The post has been vacant since June.

The personnel of one of the most venerable monasteries in Latin Christianity caused a sensation in October.

At that time it became known that the monks of the abbey had elected the German monk Mauritius Wilde as the new abbot in August, but the Pope refused him the necessary confirmation.

According to reports, the Vatican rejected Wilde because he does not have Italian citizenship.

Wilde, who comes from Münsterschwarzach Abbey, is currently Prior of the Roman Benedictine Abbey of San'Anselmo.

A statement from the Vatican press office shows that this time the pope chose the abbot alone - without prior election of the monks.

The Vatican is said to have insisted on Italian citizenship because the monastery of Montecassino has a special status under canon law.

It is one of the few remaining territorial abbeys.

This is the name of monasteries which, similar to a diocese, are responsible for an area for pastoral care and whose abbot has a position similar to that of a bishop.

Due to this special status, the Pope must confirm the Abbot election.

In addition, the Abbot of Montecassino is also a member of the Italian Bishops' Conference;

However, since 2014 his "bishopric" has only consisted of the monastery grounds.

The Vatican is said to refer to the concordat between the Holy See and Italy.

Article 16 of this treaty stipulates that “no part of Italian territory may depend on a bishop whose seat is in another state”.

According to the Vatican reading, it means that only an Italian citizen can lead an Italian diocese.

In addition, the Roman canonists deduced from this that no foreign bishop may dispose of the tax money that the Italian state collects for the church.

There was no open criticism of the Pope's decision.

The reference to the concordat, however, sometimes caused incomprehension in religious circles.