Well, this certainly beats the alternatives that have been discussed.

Pope Francis has named Cardinal Robert Sarah as the new prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

Cardinal Sarah, 69, from French Guinea, is currently president of the pontifical council “Cor Unum”. He will replace Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, nicknamed “Little Ratzinger”, who has been appointed Archbishop of Valencia in Spain.

Vatican-watcher Andrea Tornielli said: “The profile of Robert Sarah, a Curia member with a long experience serving as a pastor in Africa, is rather traditional… His arrival as head of the dicastery for worship is therefore unlikely to herald any innovations in the liturgical field.”

This is a good choice by Pope Francis.