Pope Francis’ council of cardinal-advisers got started with their 26th meeting today.
A brief statement from the Vatican press office reported on the progress of the reform of the curia, but also had this comment:
They expressed their full solidarity with Pope Francis regarding what has happened in past weeks, aware that, in this ongoing debate, the Holy See is on the verge of formulating whatever clarifications are deemed necessary.
This is probably the highest-level indication that any response at all might be forthcoming from the Holy Father or from an official Vatican source to the “testimony” of former nuncio in the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò.
Also of note: The Council was appointed to a five-year mandate in October of 2013. This of course means that the term for these cardinals has come to an end.
In the course of these five years, some of the cardinals have faced scrutiny on various issues, especially their handling of sexual abuse accusations on their watch. Among these cardinals are Australia’s George Pell, Chile’s Francisco Errázuriz, and Honduras’ Oscar Maradiaga.
And today we celebrate...