Vatican City, 13 February 2015 (VIS) –
The Extraordinary Consistory of the College of Cardinals with Pope
Francis did not complete its work this morning as expected. The
meeting will continue during the afternoon, with an update on the
work of the Commission for the Protection of Minors by its president,
Cardinal Sean O'Malley, explained the director of the Holy See Press
Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., during a press conference today.
Yesterday, Thursday, the meeting
continued in a serene and constructive atmosphere, with
interventions by a further 28 cardinals who offered different
perspectives on the reform of the Curia, focusing on the relationship
between the Curia and the local Churches, and underlining the
importance of better serving the Church in the world. They spoke of
“decentralisation”, and the theme of “subsidiarity” was
recurrent. Further reflection was invited on what can be done better
and where: or rather, in which cases it would be more useful for the
Roman dicasteries to act, and when instead the involvement of the
dioceses or the episcopal conferences would be more useful.
Other interventions were dedicated to
the usefulness and importance of the central service of the Holy See,
bearing in mind the experience in various countries where the local
church is weak and may be subject to pressure, and is therefore
supported by the work of the Vatican.
Coordination within the Curia was
addressed not with a merely functional focus, but rather from the
perspective of a sense of communion between the different
dicasteries, of communication that creates union in the common
mission. More specifically, the interministerial commissions were
referred to as tools for achieving this objective and the importance
of continuity in this dimension of coordination was noted.
Emphasis was placed on the competence
of the Secretariat of State with regard to the Holy See's relations
with international organisations and entities as a guarantee of
coherence and the assumption of a common position. However, this does
not mean that the Secretariat of State acts alone, but rather that it
involves the dicasteries with specific competences, always with a
guiding unity.
Simplification is a shared criterion.
There were several considerations regarding the qualifications of
people working in the Curia, from the point of view of professional
competence and ecclesial spirit and dedication. Emphasis was placed
on the need for professionals from different parts of the world and
for the Church to better reflect her universality. In this respect,
there was discussion on the role of the laity, women in particular,
in the assumption of positions of responsibility in the Roman Curia.
Other interventions focused on the
positive elements of the Apostolic Constitution “Pastor bonus”,
which must not be lost from view; therefore, the reform process must
ensure distinct continuity with this document, especially from an
ecclesiological point of view.
This morning's meeting, attended by 164
cardinals, focused primarily on a long report with four interventions
on themes of an economic nature, introduced by Cardinal George Pell,
president of the Secretariat for the Economy. Joseph F.X. Zahra of
the Commission for Reference on the Organisation of the Economic and
Administrative Structure of the Holy See (COSEA) then spoke about the
study the Commission carried out last year on the organisational
issues faced by the Holy See, and gave information on the
Commission's activity. It was the first time that the College of
Cardinals has received such a detailed report in the presence of so
many cardinals. The composition, role, work and competences of the
Council for the Economy were then the subject of an intervention by
Cardinal Reinhard Marx.
Cardinal Pell then gave further
information regarding the recent activities of the Secretariat,
focusing primarily on the balance for the year that has just
commenced. Finally, Jean-Baptiste de Franssu, president of the
Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR) spoke about the current
situation of this body.
Following the interventions by the
cardinals, several questions were raised to the speakers. As well as
asking for more specific details, the cardinals expressed their
appreciation for the reorganisation work that has taken place and
their conviction that this constitutes a convincing reform that
prioritises transparency, integrity and competence. The speed with
which it has been put into affect was also praised, given that there
are already entities working according to the new guidelines. The
reforms, it was affirmed, strengthen the credibility of the Church.
Questions of a more technical nature
were also posed, regarding the competences of various bodies and the
relations between the Holy See and Vatican City State.