On 13 April Pope Francis named eight cardinals, including Australian Cardinal George Pell, ‘to advise him in the government of the universal church’, and then ‘to study a plan for revising the Apostolic Constitution on the Roman
Curia, Pastor Bonus’. ‘The decision to assemble this group of advisors comes off as an act of collegiality, meaning shared authority, on at least three levels,’ writes John Allen.
‘First and most obviously, by placing a group of leaders from dioceses around the world at the top of the food chain, it’s a way of saying that the Vatican must be accountable to the local Churches rather than it always being the other way around.
‘Second, this group is clearly designed to be geographically representative, including at least one cardinal from each
continent… some were explicitly told they were being asked to serve as the representative of their geographic region.
‘Third, this group includes the current president of the Bishop’s Conferences in Europe, Asia, as well as past presidents of Africa and Latin America. Those picks suggest a revitalisation of the role of bishop’s conferences, both nationally and regionally, under Francis.’
Cathnews
Curia, Pastor Bonus’. ‘The decision to assemble this group of advisors comes off as an act of collegiality, meaning shared authority, on at least three levels,’ writes John Allen.
‘First and most obviously, by placing a group of leaders from dioceses around the world at the top of the food chain, it’s a way of saying that the Vatican must be accountable to the local Churches rather than it always being the other way around.
‘Second, this group is clearly designed to be geographically representative, including at least one cardinal from each
continent… some were explicitly told they were being asked to serve as the representative of their geographic region.
‘Third, this group includes the current president of the Bishop’s Conferences in Europe, Asia, as well as past presidents of Africa and Latin America. Those picks suggest a revitalisation of the role of bishop’s conferences, both nationally and regionally, under Francis.’
Cathnews
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