This week the Holy See will present a report to the UN Committee Against Torture. It will be challenging, especially for Vatican communications, called once more to respond to the attacks of the secular media. As it was the case for the report presented to the UN Committee on the Rights [...]
In his last meeting with Roman clergy, Benedict XVI spoke about a «Second Vatican Council of the media and a real Second Vatican Council,» complaining that the media wanted to set the agenda of the Conciliar fathers. Nowadays something similar is happening again, with respect to Pope Francis’ papacy. One could speak about [...]
The report of the inspection to the Institute for Religious Works (IOR) commissioned by the Vatican Financial Information Authority should be hopefully ready by the end of April. In the meantime, it is already known that the Institute – misleadingly called the “Vatican bank” – will carry forward its mission, continuing to [...]
Pope Francis established a group of Eight Cardinals to advise him about a reform of the Curia and the government of the universal Church. He has several people he trusts working with him, like Cardinal Agostino Vallini, the Pope’s vicar for the diocese of Rome. But the most influential adviser is in fact Pope [...]
Watch, judge, act. These are the three steps put into action by Pope Francis. After almost one year of pontificate, Pope Francis has decided on a way forward on how to reform the Curia. Those who were thinking of a wide reform, built on a solid legal framework, will be perhaps disappointed. Pope Francis [...]
The February 22 consistory will start shaping the future Church. The numbers are clear. From now to 2017, 32 cardinals will turn 80, thus losing the right to vote in a future conclave. And from now to Feb. 22, there will be 106 cardinal electors, so Pope Francis had in fact 14 “red [...]
It was probably not by chance that Father Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher of the Pontifical Household, dedicated the first of his Advent presentations to the Roman Curia to the theme of the reform of the Church. He did so from a particular angle: that of Francis of Assisi, of his extraordinary conversion and [...]
The preparatory document of the extraordinary synod for the family grabbed headlines only because of the questionnaire attached to it. It was comprised of 38 questions, posed in an unusually straightforward manner, addressing issues very pragmatically.
This pragmatic style is the only reform that has taken place under Pope Francis so far. There [...]
The most recent proposal floating is that of creating a Congregation for the Laity. After all – Cardinal Oscar Andrés Maradiaga has maintained – there is a Congregation for the Clergy and one for Bishops, but there is not one for the lay people, who are the biggest part of the Church. [...]