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Pope Francis has appointed a commission of eight cardinals — including Cardinal George Pell of Sydney — to advise him on governing the Church and reforming the Roman Curia.
Observers consider it is significant that the commission includes only one prelate currently serving in the Vatican — Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, president of the Vatican city-state — and does not include the current Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.
The commission includes members from all five continents, but none of the cardinals who head major congregations or pontifical councils.
The other members are: Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, who will co-ordinate the effort; Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa, the retired Archbishop of Santiago de Chile; Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Bombay, India; Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich, Germany; Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo; and Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley of Boston, United States.
The Vatican announcement of the commission said the Pope was “taking up a suggestion that emerged during the general congregations preceding the conclave”.
National Catholic Reporter correspondent John Allen has observed that curial reform is only the second task of the commission.
“The first is to advise the Pope on decisions about the universal church, meaning there’s almost nothing that falls outside its purview.
“To invoke parallels from secular governments, this isn’t a blue-ribbon commission assembled to handle a single task, like reforming social security or recommending military base closings. This is more akin to a cabinet, a body to advise the chief executive on almost everything that comes across his desk.”
Allen noted that Cardinal Rodríguez has “crossed swords with Vatican potentates”, and Cardinal O’Malley has found fault with Cardinal Angelo Sodano for referring to criticism of the Church’s record on sex abuse as “petty gossip”,
He also says both Cardinal Monsengwo and Cardinal Gracias have argued for greater latitude for both local churches and regional conferences of bishops.
Sources:
Image: Il Servizio Petrino
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News category: World.
