Council of Cardinal Advisers

The Council of Cardinal Advisers, formally the Council of Cardinals, is a group of nine Roman Catholic cardinals appointed by Pope Francis to serve as advisers to the pontiff exactly one month after his election, 13 April 2013. The council was formally established on 28 September by a chirograph.^[1][2]

Leadership and membership

• Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga SDB, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa (coordinator)
• Marcello Semeraro, Bishop of Albano (secretary)
• Giuseppe Bertello, President of the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State
• Francisco Javier Errázuriz Ossa, Archbishop-Emeritus of Santigo de Chile
• Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay
• Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich
• Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, Archbishop of Kinshasa
• Seán Patrick O'Malley OFM Cap, Archbishop of Boston
• George Pell, Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy
• Pietro Parolin, cardinal, Secretary of State

The group is coordinated by Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga.^[3] The secretary of the group is Marcello Semeraro, Bishop of Albano. The Italian cardinal Pietro Parolin, from the Vatican Secretary of State was appointed by Pope Francis and became the ninth member of the Council of Cardinal Advisers in July 2014.^[4]

Meetings

The group of eight cardinals have a broad remit "to advise him in the government of the universal church and to study a plan for revising the Apostolic Constitution on the Roman Curia, Pastor Bonus." Said to have been inspired by "a suggestion that emerged during the General Congregations preceding the Conclave", as relayed in the move's formal notice.^[5]

The council had its first meeting on 1–3 October. In a statement released after the close of the meeting, the intention of the cardinals is to emphasise the nature of the service on the part of the Curia and the universal and local church "in terms of subsidiarity, rather than the exercise of centralised power. The intended direction would be to put this into practice in the service of the Church in all her dimensions". Another important theme was the nature and functions of the Secretariat of State, which "should be the secretariat of the Pope; the word State should not give rise to doubt. This body serves the Pope in the governance of the universal Church". The Council will address the matter of relations between the heads of the dicasteries and the Pope, and co-ordination between the various bodies. "In this context, mention was made of the role of a 'Moderator Curiae' (Moderator of the Curia), and the functions of such a figure. The issue was touched upon but no decision has been made as to whether it will form part of the new constitution; however, it is in fact one of the hypotheses suggested by the Council".^[6]

The council had its second meeting from 3–5 December, discussing the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, entering fully into their in-depth task, not limited to retouches or minor improvements. The revision of Pastor Bonus is substantial, to the extent that it may be considered as a new constitution for the Curia.^[7]

The third meeting was held from 17–19 February 2014, where matters regarding the economic and administrative sectors were considered, shortly before the consistory for the creation of new cardinals and the meeting of the Synod council.^[8] In a press release it was noted that "Archbishop Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State and future cardinal, was and will continue to be present".^[9]

For the morning of 17 February, the representatives of the Commission for Reference on the Organisation of the Economic-Administrative Structure of the Holy See (COSEA)^[10] with three members of the Commission were present, Josef F.X. Zahra, the secretary Msgr. Lucio Vallejo Balda and Joachim Messemer. The work carried out during the eight months since the creation of this body was presented with no decisions taken. On 18 February, the Commission for Reference on the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR) was heard. On 19 February the Council continued without Pope Francis who held his usual general audience. The cardinals of the so-called "Council of Fifteen" instituted by John Paul II and responsible for the general consolidated financial statement of the Holy See and the Governorate of Vatican City State met with the Council.

During the meeting from 28 to 30 April, Cardinal Parolinas participated regularly with the Council. The Council heard a report from the president of the Pontifical Commission for Reference on the Organisation of the Economic-Administrative Structures of the Holy See (COSEA), Joseph F.X. Zahra, in relation to some of the areas of activity within its remit. Following its review in previous Meetings of the Congregations of the Roman Curia, the Council is now focusing on the Pontifical Councils, first in terms of general considerations, followed by an individual appraisal of each one. The Council is expected to complete a first report of its considerations regarding the Pontifical Councils during this Meeting.^[11]

During their meetings from 1-4 July Pope Francis was present and said that he would participate fully like the other members of the Council. Cardinal Bertello presented matters relating to the Governorate, and Cardinal Parolin made a presentation relating to the Secretariat of State. The issue of the structure of the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR) was discussed in depth. The meetings, held in two sessions, were also attended by Cardinal Parolin and members of the Supervisory Commission of Cardinals present in Rome: Cardinals Santos Abril y Castelló, Thomas Collins and Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran.^[12] During these meetings the Pontifical Council for the Laity and the Pontifical Council for the Family were studied in particular depth, especially in terms of the contributions and roles that should be assumed by laypeople, married couples and women. Decisions were not made, but more detailed proposals were offered for subsequent insertion into the overall framework of the new configuration of the Curia. Other themes included the nunciatures and the procedures for the appointment of bishops. The Vatican described the overall tone of the meetings as "free, frank and friendly".^[13]

During the course of the meetings from 15-17 September the Cardinals had previously worked by examining all the Congregations and Pontifical Councils, but they had also assigned a significant amount of time to hearing the referring Commissions on economic and organisational questions (COSEA and CRIOR) and on matters pertaining to the economic Dicasteries. Work in this area is considered complete.^[14] In this meeting the Council resumed work on the other Dicasteries. In the meantime, several contributions had been prepared by various members of the Council on the different issues within their sphere of competence, which were proposed or presented to the Council. During these days, the Council focused on two principal difficult issues. The first includes the themes of the laity and the family. It is a very broad area, encompassing many issues, including for instance the role of women in society and in the Church, youth, childhood, or matters related to lay associations and movements, and so on. The second comprises themes linked to justice and peace, charity, migrants and refugees, health, and the protection of life and ecology, especially human ecology. The Council of Cardinals, as we are aware, does not make decisions, but formulates proposals for the Pope, who certainly intends to consult in further depth. In order to speed up this new phase in the work of the Council, the coordinator, Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, S.D.B., has prepared an overall plan to facilitate the organisation of the contributions and reflections already offered during the previous meetings and the integration of new ones.^[15]

During the seventh meeting held from 9-11 December. The meetings focused on three themes: the reform of the Curia, the composition of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and the reorganisation of the economic organs of the Holy See. As usual, Pope Francis participated in all meetings aside from the Wednesday morning session, due to his weekly general audience. With regard to reform of the Roman Curia, the Cardinals also addressed the specific question of the reorganisation of the Pontifical Councils that work in relation to the laity, the family, justice, peace and charity. No formal decisions were taken. The Commission for the Protection of Minors, which has eight members and a secretary, is to be enlarged with representatives from various ecclesial and cultural contexts around the world, reaching a total of around eighteen members. The candidates had been selected and their availability to participate was in the process of being verified. From 6 to 8 February 2015 the Commission plans to hold its plenary session and it is expected that all members will be confirmed by that date.^[16] Professor Joseph Zahra, the lay deputy coordinator of the Council for the Economy, reported to the Cardinals on the reorganisation of the economic dicasteries.^[17]

The eighth meeting was held from 9 to 11 February 2015. During the ninth meeting from 13 to 15 April the Council dedicated the majority its work regarding reform of the Roman Curia to two aspects: reflections on the methodologies to be followed for work during 2015 and 2016 in order to be able to effectively accomplish the task of preparing the new Constitution, and a rereading of the interventions by the Cardinals in relation to reform of the Curia made during the recent Consistory (there were over sixty interventions on this theme with useful indications and cues, both for the prologue of the constitution and for specific aspects of reform). The orientation towards the constitution of two dicasteries – one competent in fields of charity, justice and peace, the other regarding the laity, families and life – would appear to be confirmed. The Council also focused on the issue of the reorganisation of Vatican media, following the submission of the final report of the Commission presided over by Lord Patten. It is expected that the Pope will constitute a Commission to consider how the recommendations of the report can be put into practice. This body will also include members of the Patten Commission, to ensure continuity. Cardinal O'Malley, president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, under the auspices of the same Commission, has proposed that the Pope and the Council consider the theme of “Accountability” with regard to the protection of minors, in order to establish appropriate procedures and methods for evaluating and judging cases of “abuse of office” in this area, especially on the part of persons holding responsibility within the Church.^[18]

Acting on their advice, Pope Francis in April of 2015 established a Commission for the Reform of the Vatican's Communications Media.^[19]

Further meetings are scheduled to take place from 8 to 10 June, 14 to 16 September and 10 to 12 December 2015.

References