Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman named Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais head of the Presidency of Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque in the rank of a minister. The King also appointed Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah as chairman of the board of directors of the General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque.

The appointments were made in two royal decrees issued by the King following the decision of the Council of Ministers on Tuesday to establish the presidency and the authority as two independent bodies. Both the entities will organizationally be linked to the King.

Before the new appointment, Dr. Al-Sudais served as the head of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, which was converted into General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque. The new General Presidency will be tasked with all the specializations, tasks, and work of supervising the affairs of imams and muezzins at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, and everything related to their religious matters, including religious circles and Islamic classes.

The new general authority, headed by Al-Rabiah, will enjoy financial and administrative independence. It will undertake specialized tasks, services, operations, maintenance and development related to the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah