Pope prepares constitutional reform in the Vatican
A month after his election to succeed Benedict XVI, Francis created a group of eight cardinals from all continents to "advise him on the governance of the Church" and to study a draft reform of the Constitution of the Curia.
From the Lusa news agency and Vatican Radio.
Brasilia – A month after his election to succeed Benedict XVI, who resigned from the papacy on February 28, Pope Francis created a group of eight cardinals from all continents to "advise him on the government of the Church" and study a draft reform of the Constitution of the Curia. The creation of the group was announced today (13), in a statement from the Vatican Secretariat of State.
With this, the Pope begins the reform, after an initial period in which he remained discreet about these matters, while advocating for a merciful, poor, and missionary Church.
The cardinals appointed are two Europeans, two Latin Americans, one North American, one Indian, one Congolese, and one Australian. Some of them were, before the conclave that elected Francis, among the likely successors to Pope Benedict XVI.
The cardinals will work on revising the Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus, written by Pope John Paul II, in the Roman Curia.
According to the Vatican statement, the group's first meeting will be from October 1st to 3rd, but the Pope is already in contact with the eight cardinals.
The spokesman for the Holy See, Father Federico Lombardi, said today in a press conference that Pope Francis has shown he has received the suggestions made by the College of Cardinals during the General Congregations, in preparation for the conclave that elected him last month. According to Lombardi, the group of cardinals was "called upon to advise," but those who truly help the Pope govern the Church every day are the Roman Curia, with its stable and permanent collaborators.