Pope, Vatican department heads discuss reforms

Monday's meeting triggered speculation of just how wide-ranging reform of the curia might be.

Vatican City:  Pope Francis is moving ahead with plans to reform the Catholic church's central governance structures, meeting Monday with the heads of each of the Vatican's various departments to discuss pending changes.

While the Vatican released little information about the meeting, spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi said in a short briefing on Monday that it was held "regarding the reform of the curia," the Vatican term for its offices and departments.

The meeting, Lombardi said, took about three hours, with the pope and the department heads discussing various proposals for reform. The department heads, said the priest, "spoke and gave their observations" to planned reforms.

News of Monday's meeting has triggered speculation of just how wide-ranging Francis' reform of the Vatican curia might be. Some analysts have speculated the pope might be dissolving certain congregations or councils, or raising the importance of others.

Source: National Catholic Reporter