Pope appoints U.S. Archbishop Burke to head Vatican's highest court

Pope Benedict XVI has appointed U.S. Archbishop Raymond L. Burke of St. Louis to head the Vatican's highest court.
A canon lawyer, the archbishop worked for the court during 1989-94 and was named a member of the body in July 2006. He also served on the Roman Rota, the church's central appeals court, before being named bishop of La Crosse, Wis., in 1994.

Archbishop Burke sparked debate within the U.S. church during the run-up to the 2004 presidential election.He was the first member of the hierarchy to weigh in on the election-year controversy over withholding Communion from politicians whose votes contradict church teaching on fundamental moral issues.

After he was installed as archbishop of St. Louis in 2004, he said if Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry were to present himself for Communion while campaigning in St. Louis he would give Kerry a blessing but not Communion.

The Apostolic Signature functions as the Vatican's supreme court and is charged with ensuring justice is administered correctly in all tribunals and by all offices of the Roman Curia.

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