Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Catholic News

Home

Home
Catholic
Religion News
Will the appointment of new cardinals advance reform?

Will the appointment of new cardinals advance reform?

Last updated on: January 5, 2015 at 6:32 pm by CNA Daily News

Will the appointment of new cardinals advance reform? 2015-01-05T18:32:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Vatican City, Jan 5, 2015 / 11:32 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In creating 20 new cardinals – 15 of whom will be cardinal electors – Pope Francis has continued to set his sights on the world's peripheries, and at the same time he began designing the College of Cardinals in order to push forward his reforms.

Among the new cardinal electors, only Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, hails from the Roman curia; he had previously served, since 2006, as the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States.

Most of the new red birettas hail from the peripheries of the world, and follow the rationale of “the universality of the Church,” as Fr. Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See press office, put it in a written note delivered Jan. 4.

With the Feb. 14-15 consistory at which the new cardinals are officially appointed, the weight of the curia will be diminished in the election of the next Bishop of Rome.

At the moment, there are 33 curial members among the 110 voting cardinals, that is, 30 percent of the conclave. After the consistory, there will be 34 voting cardinals from the curia, among 125, a reduction of three percent.

The new outline of the college of cardinals may be decisive for what concerns the Church reforms Pope Francis has in mind.

Pope Francis desires that the high ranks of the Church be committed to a continual dialogue and discussion, and for this purpose he is using consistories as a tool to foster an open discussion.

Pope Francis enlarged the agenda of October 2014 consistory – scheduled in order to vote for two canonizations – convoking the cardinals to discuss the situation in the Middle East.

It was the second time Pope Francis convoked a consistory to discuss a timely issue.

Earlier, Pope Francis had convoked a February 2014 consistory to discuss the family, opening the discussion which took place in the extraordinary synod. The consistory took place on the eve of Pope Francis’ first consistory to create new cardinals.

Likewise, Pope Francis has convoked an ordinary consistory to discuss curial reform Feb. 12-13, on the eve of the consistory to create new cardinals, scheduled for Feb. 14.

The consistory will take place after the seventh gathering of the Council of Cardinals, scheduled Feb. 9 -11.

A first draft of Curia reform was presented during the Pope’s regular meeting with the chief of Vatican dicasteries Nov. 24, 2014.

According to the draft, the Pontifical Councils for Justice and Peace, Migrants, Cor Unum, Health Care and the Pontifical Academy for Life would be merged into a new Congregation for Justice and Peace. A new Congregation for Laity and Family was intended to enroll the Pontifical Councils for Laity and for the Family.

The draft was widely discussed during the meeting, and was reviewed at the following meeting of the Council of Cardinals, held Dec. 9-11.

The Council of Cardinals will once again discuss the draft, taking into consideration some criticisms of the draft which emerged during the meetings, and then this draft will be discussed at the following consistory.

As the members of the Roman curia will have less weight, it is likely that the balance of the discussion will swing toward the residential archbishops, who may have a decisive word in advancing curial reform.

Despite some minor adjustments, the final decision on curial reform should not come out soon. In the interview granted Dec. 7, 2014 to 'La Nacion', Pope Francis stressed that “reforming the Curia will take a long time, this is the most complex part,” and anticipated that reform will not be ready within 2015.

The international and 'peripheries' sway of the College of Cardinals may help the Holy Father to speed up the process of curial reform, overcoming criticisms and internal resistance: this is how the next consistory could advance reforms.

Vatican

Previous Post

January 4, 2015

Beauty in suffering: How one woman is fighting the stigma of therapy

Next Post

January 5, 2015 'No human invention' – Marriage a divine plan, bishop says

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which Old Testament book does not mention God?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Ruth Ecclesiastes Esther Song of Solomon