She’s thirty-eight years old, married with four children: Marie-Caroline de Marliave has just been appointed the new director of communications of the French Episcopal Conference. It’s the first time that the French episcopate has assigned such a post to a woman, hitherto filled either by priests or religious. She will share responsibility for acting as spokesperson for the French bishops with Father Stanislas Lalanne, who is also secretary general of the episcopate. Marie-Caroline has been given responsibility for the information and communication service of the French Episcopal Conference and will also act as secretary of its standing Committee for information and communication. A graduate in political studies from the university of Grenoble and with a post-graduate degree from the London School of Economics, Marie-Caroline has filled various posts in business and professional associations. She does not lack a biblical formation either, having studied at the “Ecole Cathedrale” of the diocese of Paris. She’s also a catechist in the parish of St. Ferdinand in Paris. “Being a lay person and having professional experience outside the Church will permit me to complement my skills and bring a view from outside”, she explained to SirEurope after her appointment. She also stressed that her role will be that of “building bridges with the external world”.
