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Holy See representative Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle had planned to visit New Zealand this October. However, as can happen, plans change and he won’t be coming after all.
Considered by some to be Papabile, Tagle is the Pro-Prefect for the Section of Evangelisation of the Dicastery for Evangelisation and is responsible for appointing New Zealand’s bishops.
The Holy See said Tagle’s involvement with the upcoming October Synod would make his trip impossible at this time.
“It has recently been confirmed that His Eminence … has been named as a participant in the upcoming synod this October,” the Holy See explained.
“Given the schedule of the synod itself, as well as the planning leading up to it, His Eminence will unfortunately not be available to make a trip to New Zealand this fall.”
Dunedin priest Fr Michael Hishon who chairs the committee that organised Tagle’s visit is obviously disappointed but quick to say that he understands Tagle’s focus must be on the synod for the moment.
“Clearly the Synod in Rome has some very serious issues confronting it,” he told CathNews.
“We understand Tagle is one of the key members of the Synod, and because we want the best outcome for the Church, we strongly support his attendance at the Rome Synod.”
He says that while they would have been “delighted to have committed him to spending some brief but very valuable time amidst our clergy,” Hishon says the disappointment “is the Holy Spirit talking.
“The Holy Spirit often works in strange ways; God’s ways are not necessarily our ways,” he says.
“Anyone that organises these types of events always has a contingency, and we have ours.”
Source
- CathNews
- Supplied
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