Cardinal George Pell, one of eight cardinal advisors chosen by Pope Francis, believes the new Pope has “set a cracking pace” in his first 100 days in office.
But the Sydney cardinal expressed some concern for the Pope’s health under the work regime he has set himself.
“He’s not a young man and he seems to be working incessantly,” said Cardinal Pell. “He’s obviously very tough and strong after years of work, but I think it’s in the interest of everybody that he doesn’t work too hard, or rather that he works hard in a way that he can cope with.”
In a Vatican Insider interview, the cardinal said he expects Pope Francis will bring about a significant “re-configuration” of the Roman Curia and hopes a better way can be set up to select people with the appropriate abilities for particular positions in it.
Cardinal Pell said “you might even finish up with a small committee of cardinals, with a small group servicing them, who would be able to present to the Holy Father ‘ternas’ [three names] for the senior roles in the Roman Curia, such as is now being done for dioceses.
“And, of course, if he wanted to go outside the ‘terna’ he would be able to do that too. I think this would ensure that you have faithful, believing, competent people for the various posts in the Curia. The best structures in the world can be damaged if you have square pegs in round holes.”
The cardinal also questioned whether the Vatican has enough typists. “How many people with doctorates are spending their time typing? Now that’s only one small example of the practical problems that exist today.”
Cardinal Pell welcomed the fact that the leaks of confidential Vatican documents have stopped, but said the Pope will have to address the issues raised in a secret report by the three cardinals who were commissioned by Pope Benedict to study the leaks and trace their sources.
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Image: Blessed Sacrament Province