Pope Francis sets up a group of eight cardinals to advise him

 

 

CARDINALS

Francis has taken a most significant decision by setting up a group of eight cardinals from all continents to advise him in governing the Catholic Church and reforming the Roman Curia

GERARD O'CONNELL
VATICAN CITY

  

In a highly significant and ground-breaking move, indicating a new, more collegial style of leadership, Pope Francis has chosen a group of eight cardinals, from all continents and the Roman Curia, to act as his special advisors in governing the Catholic Church and reforming the Roman Curia.  

The Secretariat of State broke the news in a press statement on April 13, exactly one month after his election.  It said “The Holy Father, Francis, taking up a suggestion that emerged in the course of the General Congregations preceding the Conclave, has set up a group of Cardinals to advise him in the government of the universal Church and to study a project of revision of the Apostolic Constitution “Pastor Bonus” on the Roman Curia”.

The Apostolic Constitution “Pastor Bonus”  referred to in the Vatican statement was issued by Pope John Paul II in 1988 and introduced reforms in the Roman Curia, the civil service that assists the Pope in the government of the Church.

The Vatican revealed the names of the eight cardinals chosen by Pope Francis:  

• AFRICA: Cardinal Laurent Monswengo Pasinya, 73, archbishop of Kinshasha in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, former president of SECAM – the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (1997-2003) and co-president of Pax Christi International (2007-2009);
• ASIA: Cardinal Oswald Gracias, 68, archbishop of Bombay, India, the current President of the FABC, the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences;
• EUROPE:  Cardinal Reinhard Marx, 69,  Archbishop of Munich and Freising, in the Federal Republic of Germany; Since 2012 he has been president of  COMECE - the Bishops Conferences of the European Community;
• LATIN AMERICA:  Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa, 79, emeritus Archbishop of Santiago de Cile, Chile, he was president of  CELAM - the Council of Episcopal Conferences of Latin America ( 2003-2007);
• NORTH AMERICA: Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, OFM, 66,   archbishop of Boston, US Bishops Conference;
• OCEANIA: Cardinal George Pell, 71, the archbishop of Sydney, Australia;
• ROMAN CURIA: Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, 70, the Italian-born Holy See diplomat and currently President of the Governorate of the Vatican City State;
• COORDINATOR: Cardinal  Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, S.D.B.,70, archbishop of Tegucigapla, Honduras, will coordinate the Group..
• SECRETARY: Bishop Marcello Semeraro of Albano diocese, Italy, will serve as the secretary of the group.

In the pre-conclave meetings, several cardinals spoke about the challenges the new pope would face in governing the Catholic Church and reforming the Roman Curia. Some suggested that it would be good if the new pope could develop a more collegial system of government by involving members of the College of Cardinals or of the Bishops Conferences to assist him in the monumental task of governance.  Pope Francis listened carefully and has taken the decision to establish a group of eight to act as his counselors.

Pope Francis is a man of government. He knows how to take decisions, as his performance as Jesuit superior and later archbishop bishop in Argentina has shown.  Now he brings that skill to the Vatican, where it is much needed. 

An analysis of the eight cardinals chosen shows that seven have wide pastoral experience in governing dioceses and one is an experienced Holy See diplomat; they bring with them a rich and diverse field experience. They are not all like-minded men, and that too is a point in his favor. As in Buenos Aires, so too in Rome, he does not want to surround himself with ‘Yes’ men, he wants to avoid the ‘Groupthink” syndrome. He wants advisors who will tell him the truth, not simply tell him the things that they think or imagine he wants to hear. He wishes to listen to different points of view, so that he can reach good decisions for the benefit of the whole Church and of the wider world that it is called to serve. Pope Francis is already in contact with the cardinals, and the Group will meet for the first time on October 1-3, the Vatican said.