Posts Tagged ‘Cardinals’

Fr Ernest Simoni: the only non-bishop among new cardinals

Friday, October 14th, 2016

“I am a poor priest and my only richness is Christ,” are the words that his Italian biographer, Mimmo Muolo, retains of Cardinal-designate Ernest Simoni, hero of the Gospel under the Albanian Communist regimes, who endured condemnation to death and was a slave labourer for almost 30 years. Father Ernest Simoni is the only non-bishop on Read more

Cardinal Sarah and failures at the college of cardinals

Friday, June 10th, 2016

The ability, or even tendency, to make stupid remarks is not, at least officially, a prerequisite for being made a curial cardinal. But neither does it seem to hurt the odds of one’s wearing a red biretta around Rome. In 2011, a Spanish bishop claimed that Cardinal Ennio Antonelli, then head of the Pontifical Council Read more

C9 cardinals discuss bishop appointment process

Friday, April 15th, 2016

The council of cardinals advising the Pope on Church governance have discussed the way bishops are chosen for dioceses around the world. Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi, SJ, said the cardinals’ council reflected on what criteria is currently used to select prelates “in the light of their pastoral identity and mission”. The cardinals have also Read more

History’s former cardinals

Friday, March 27th, 2015

Although Scottish archbishop Keith Michael Patrick O’Brien – who has just been divested of his cardinalatial rights and powers (participation in the Conclave and in Consistories) – gets to formally keep the title of cardinal, it remains just that, a decorative title devoid of any significance. As such, he joins a list of 23 other Read more

Calls for qualified professionals and women in Curia

Tuesday, February 17th, 2015

Calls were made by some cardinals at the Vatican last week for qualified professionals from all over the world to work in the Roman Curia. Some of those who spoke at a consistory said there is a need for an enhanced role for laity, particularly women. Dozens of cardinals spoke about the work of the Read more

Will we get a Cardinal in February?

Tuesday, December 16th, 2014

When he was visiting New Zealand last year Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, who is thought to be close to the Pope, said that there was a need for more cardinals from Oceania. He said Oceania is not Australia by itself, and the region has a wide variety of nations and peoples. So it is possible Read more

Cardinals explore ministry to divorced and remarried

Tuesday, February 25th, 2014

Ministry to divorced and remarried Catholics was high on the agenda at a meeting of 150 cardinals from around the world. After a consistory on February 20-21, Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi said the cardinals’ discussions had focussed mainly on three topics. These were the Christian vision of people and family life, pastoral support for Read more

Pope Francis greets Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at major liturgy

Tuesday, February 25th, 2014

Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI have appeared together at a major public service for the first time since the former Pope’s retirement. The former and present pontiffs were at a ceremony at St Peter’s Basilica to formally install 19 new cardinals on February 22. Benedict entered the basilica discreetly from a side entrance Read more

Women in the church: more important than bishops

Tuesday, February 4th, 2014

“Women in the church are more important than bishops and priests,” the pope insisted in July. “That’s what we have to try to explain better, because I believe we don’t have a way of making that explicit theologically.” Here’s the key point: When Francis talks about “more space” for women, it’s less about creating new Read more

I won’t create female cardinals, says Pope Francis

Tuesday, December 17th, 2013

Pope Francis has ruled out the possibility of female cardinals in an exclusive interview with the Italian daily newspaper, La Stampa. Speaking to the Vatican expert, Andrea Tornielli, in response to rumours earlier this year that Pope Francis was going to appoint a female cardinal, the Pope said: “I don’t know where this idea sprang Read more