In a letter dated December 1, 2011, His Eminence Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, Secretary of State for the Holy See, informed the Master of the Order of Preachers that the Holy Father had named Fr. Serge Thomas Bonino, OP, as the General Secretary of the International Theological Commission. Fr. Bonino will be taking the position made vacant by another Dominican, Bishop Charles Morerod, OP, who was recently consecrated as Bishop of the Diocese of Fribourg, Lausanne, and Geneva in Switzerland. Fr. Serge Thomas is a member of the Toulouse Province in France. He teaches philosophy at the Institute Catholique and theology at the Dominican Studium in Toulouse. He has already been serving as a member of the Commission.
The task of the Commission is that of helping the Holy See and primarily the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in examining doctrinal questions of major importance. The President of the Commission is the Cardinal Prefect pro tempore of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, presently His Eminence William Joseph Cardinal Levada.
The Commission is composed of theologians from diverse schools and nations, noted for their knowledge and faithfulness to the Magisterium of the Church. The members, which number no more than 30, are nominated by the Holy Father ad quinquennium (for five years) after having been proposed by the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation and after consultation with the Bishops’ Conferences.
The Commission gathers in assemblea plenaria at least once per year, but work is also done by means of subcommittees. The results of the studies are presented to the Holy Father and delivered to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for its appropriate use.