Posts Tagged ‘college of cardinals’

Rethinking the role of the College of Cardinals

Monday, April 15th, 2024
College of Cardinals

Cardinal Walter Kasper (pictured), a retired member of the German Curia, has advocated for reevaluating the tasks assigned to the College of Cardinals. Speaking at a lecture in Salzburg, Kasper highlighted the need for adaptation amidst ongoing synodal changes and decentralisation within the Church. He suggested revitalising the early Church tradition of provincial and plenary Read more

Bergoglio’s List: the pope’s bid to heal a broken Church through synodality

Monday, July 10th, 2023
synodality

What do Cardinal Gerhard Müller and the Reverend James Martin SJ have in common? They are both members of the Roman Catholic clergy who tend to be polarising figures in the Church. The first is a hero of traditionalists, while the second is a champion of those who want reform. And now the German cardinal Read more

What is the lay governance debate all about?

Monday, September 5th, 2022

While last week’s meeting of the College of Cardinals failed to produce the kind of “big news” event some had predicted, the consistory did ask the cardinals to reflect upon Pope Francis’ recent reform of the Roman Curia. But while the wild rumour that Francis was mulling the appointment of a coadjutor vice-pope didn’t pan Read more

College of Cardinals now less Eurocentric

Monday, November 30th, 2020

Pope Francis elevated 13 new cardinals on Saturday making the College of Cardinals more representative of the universal Church. Only 11 cardinals participated in the consistory in St Peter’s Basilica all having been in quarantine for two weeks and all wore face masks during the ceremony. Two new cardinals who were unable to be physically Read more

The church needs women cardinals

Monday, August 3rd, 2020
women cardinals

Two weeks back, La Croix and The Tablet both reported on an interview with the president of the French bishops’ conference, Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort. During the interview, he envisioned that “the Holy See will one day be led by the Pope surrounded by a college of cardinals in which there would be women.” The Read more

Pope victim of half-reported answers about McCarrick abuse

Thursday, May 30th, 2019

A transcript of Pope Francis’ comments about disgraced ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick only half-reported what he said, the Vatican Communications office says. The truncated transcript of Francis’s lengthy interview with Mexico’s Televisa reporter, Valentina Alazaraki, claimed Francis said he didn’t know anything about accusations of McCarrick’s sexual abuse before the accusations became public last year. What Read more

Why cardinals have ranks, and how Pope Francis changed them

Thursday, June 28th, 2018
cardinals

Pope Francis made an unexpected change Tuesday in the structure of the College of Cardinals, adding some curial officials to the rank of “cardinal bishops,” the highest rank within the college. The College of Cardinals is structured in three orders, or ranks: the order of “cardinal deacons,” the order of “cardinal priests,” and the order Read more

Consistory unusual for four reasons

Monday, July 3rd, 2017

Last week’s consistory was unusual for a number of reasons. Firstly, according to the norm set by Blessed Paul VI and confirmed by St. John Paul II, there can be only 120 cardinals with voting rights in the event of a conclave to choose the next Pope. Read more

New Swedish cardinal wants women advisors

Thursday, June 29th, 2017

The new Swedish cardinal, Anders Arborelius, has suggested Pope Francis consider creating a special advisory body of women. Their role would be similar to that of the College of Cardinals and would offer more opportunity for women’s leadership in the church. Francis made Arborelius Sweden’s first cardinal in a consistory on Wednesday. He said he Read more

Cardinals are called to be grandfathers says Pope

Thursday, June 29th, 2017

Pope Francis rejects the idea that the church is a “gerontocracy” ruled by old men. While it’s true many may need help to get  up and down the small steps to the altar for Communion, Francis says it doesn’t automatically make them old. In fact, he has a surprising sounding description for them: “We aren’t Read more