That attitude, Cardinal João Braz de Aviz said in May, must be grounded in the understanding that both the church hierarchy and the sisters "are two dimensions essential in the church."

"Neither is greater than the other," Braz de Aviz said. "Both the prophetic and the governing dimensions form the church," the report quoted Aviz.

Aviz, the prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for Religious, made his comments in May in Rome during a talk at the triennial meeting of the International Union of Superiors General.

While the cardinal's remarks to the sisters, first reported by NCR, garnered wide attention at the time, the full text of Braz de Aviz's talk was never made public.

NCR will publish the cardinal's full 80-minute talk in three parts later this week.

Source

National Catholic Reporter

Image: NCR

The journalist said Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, administrator of the Holy See until the new pope was elected, criticised Brazilian Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz for previously complaining about the management of the Vatican Bank — and more generally the Roman Curia — and for the fact that his comments had been made public.

Cardinal Bertone implied that Cardinal Braz de Aviz had leaked the content of his speech — something the Brazilian curtly denied. Instead, Cardinal Braz de Aviz responded, the information may have been leaked by the "organisation" — a suggestion that several cardinals applauded.

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