A few days before the 10th anniversary of the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis installed a new “Council of Cardinals” on Tuesday, March 7, whose members will stand by him in an advisory capacity. A total of nine cardinals were elected by the Pope, including five newcomers.
So the cardinal Jean Claude Hollerich, Jesuit Archbishop of Luxembourg, but also General Reporter of the Synod on Synodality, was appointed for the first time member of this Council, which meets around François four times a year on average. This close friend of Francis is one of the key players in the global reflection on the future of the Church launched by the Pope in October 2021.
Departure of Cardinal Marx
Other relatives of Francis named by the Pope on this panel were nicknamed “C9”: the Cardinal Gerard Lacroix (Quebec), but also Sergio da Rocha, Archbishop of Salvador de Bahia and Primate of Brazil. We also note the presence of Cardinal Juan Jose Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona and President of the Spanish Episcopate, and considered by some to be a serious suitor in the event of a conclave. Because of his attachment to social orientations, he is sometimes referred to as the “Spanish Francis”.
Finally, the latest addition: the cardinal Fernando Vergez AlzagaPresident of the Government of Vatican City State, replacing the Cardinal Giuseppe Bertellowhose term of office has expired.
In addition to Cardinal Bertello, the Honduran Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Oscar Maradiaga, also deviates for reasons of age. However, another departure is likely to be more striking: that of Cardinal Reinhard Marx, 69 years old. The powerful archbishop of Munich, who was also president of the German Bishops’ Conference from 2014 to 2020 and submitted his resignation to the pope in May 2021 because he believed he had mishandled cases of sexual abuse. A resignation rejected by the Pope.
But the German cardinal is also one of the linchpins of the German synod path, which ends between March 9th and 11th on the other side of the Rhine. However, this approach was very poorly perceived in Rome, even by the Pope himself, due to orientations considered incompatible with the unity of the Church, especially in the moral sphere.
Finally, the Pope decides to renew four cardinals who are now considered important voices in the Catholic Church: alongside cardinals Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, this is the case of the powerful cardinal Fridolin AmbongoArchbishop of Kinshasa, who is often perceived as representing Africa on this council,Oswald GracesArchbishop of Bombay and the only Asian member of this structure, and the Archbishop of Boston, Sean O’Malleya Franciscan who is particularly committed to the fight against sexual violence in the Church.
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Find it in this week @The cross, our series on the 10 years of Pope Francis’ pontificate. Has Pope Francis really changed the Church in a decade? pic.twitter.com/sZVkC8xM15
— LB2S (@LB2S) March 6, 2023