This change reflects a departure from his previous practice of responding directly through social media channels such as Facebook.

"I was used to responding directly through Facebook, but now I have to take a little more care of how I move," commented Fernández.

Cardinal Fernández, known for his close association with Pope Francis, addressed journalists after receiving his cardinal's hat alongside 20 other prelates.

When questioned about how he intends to handle direct queries, even from those who may disagree with his theological views, Fernández emphasised the new process.

Decisions not made unilaterally

Questions of various kinds, whether theological, doctrinal or related to doubts (dubia), now follow a structured path within the DDF.

"If queries arrive to me or questions…I cannot respond to them directly. I have to ask that they send them formally to the dicastery so that they follow their course," he said. "I am going to say that it can call the attention of some people but there is a very democratic system for dealing with those issues."

The queries go through a series of steps starting with the department's team followed by weekly meetings, a review by a team of member-bishops and finally submission to the pope himself.

This new process ensures that decisions are not made unilaterally by the prefect.

Cardinal Fernández expressed his belief that this new structure, established as part of Pope Francis's reform of the Roman Curia, is functioning effectively. It allows for more comprehensive consideration of matters that arise within the department.

In his comments to journalists, Cardinal Fernández highlighted the increased frequency of meetings within the doctrinal section, allowing for a deeper exploration of various issues and a more considered response to queries.

Sources

Crux Now

CathNews New Zealand

Vatican commentator Thomas Reece says after Pope Francis creates 17 new cardinals, he wants to discuss his plans for reforming the Curia.

The Curia is the bureaucracy the pope uses to help him exercise his pastoral office and universal mission in the world.

Saturday's meeting will give the cardinals a chance to say what they like or dislike about the operations of the Curia and the recent reforms Francis has instituted.

His most dramatic reform is opening top positions in the Roman Curia to lay leadership. This means the secretary of state or heads of the Dicastery for Doctrine of the Faith could be laypeople. A layman or laywoman could be put in charge of the office for finding episcopal candidates.

Reece says while the changes won't affect the current Vatican cardinals, Catholics may see a future in which the Vatican has more lay leadership and fewer clerics and bishops.

"Some have suggested that these lay officials be made cardinals, but I think the fewer cardinals in the Curia the better," says Reece.

"It is difficult to fire curial cardinals who are incompetent or not in sync with the Pope."

Reece thinks a compromise could see pro-tem cardinals (both lay and clerical) in the Curia. They would lose their titles on the death or resignation of the Pope who appointed them and could not attend the conclave to elect the next one.

The Secretariat of State and the Dicastery for Doctrine of the Faith may be downgraded in the curia reform, Reece says.

"The Secretariat of State has for centuries played a dominant role in the Vatican, especially on political topics. It also exercised a coordinating role within the Vatican bureaucracy," he explains.

"The Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith, as the dicastery was previously known, was also very powerful when it came to doctrinal issues, having the final say, under the pope, on any document coming out of the Vatican," he says.

"Prior to Francis, it also played doctrinal cop in policing the writings and teachings of theologians."

Source

• Religion News Service

He's a member of the council of cardinals re-writing the Vatican's constitution, and he was also tapped to be one of the four coordinators of a recent Church summit on the protection of minors.

Gracias told Crux said that the reorganization of the Roman Curia - the central government of the Catholic Church - will have a "Francis effect," and have evangelization, service and charity as its three key pillars.

Crux spoke with Gracias on July 3 about the Vatican's new constitution, a possible papal visit to India, and other issues.

What follows are excerpts of that conversation.

You were in Rome last week for the meeting of the council of cardinals that advises the pope, and now you're back. What brought you to the Eternal City this time?

Several things, meetings … I'm participating in the anglophone meeting for the protection of minors that brings together English-speaking bishops from around the world. I also had a meeting at the Secretariat of State to follow up on the February meeting [the summit on sexual abuse.]

The pope recently issued two motu proprios that are connected to that meeting, which focused on the protection of minors. When will we see the next follow-up to that meeting?

We've had a few meetings already, and I hope that by the end of the year we're going to have formalized our contributions.

Some changes in canon law might still follow, and we also want to put more flesh on the pope's motu proprio.

There's one area in the protection of minors that is to make sure that the perpetrators don't do it again.

But there's also the promotion of good practices to create safe environments, through the training of priests, laity, family - prevention. And that is something that we need to take care of.

There are a lot of challenges still, but a lot is being done.

The new constitution is clearly no longer coming out "before the summer." What is its new due date?

It was wishful thinking to think that it would come out in June.

The draft is ready, but we asked for feedback from all over the world and the Curia. And there have been a lot of comments that we haven't been able to see yet.

There's a group working on it, and tomorrow I will have a Skype conference to follow up.

But my hope is that either by September - or December at the latest - the constitution will be public.

Is it true that there are some sections that are still being written, like the role of the spokesperson or that of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors?

The draft is ready; but some issues have come up, and we're reviewing them.

Like the whole question of how much should these be linked to the Curia or be more independent. For instance, the spokesperson.

Is it that they are the spokesman for the pope, or the Curia?

Because one is more concrete, the other gives them more access.

What will be some of the new elements of the constitution, Praedicate Evangelium?

One key element is that the Curia has to be at the service of the pope but also the bishops' conferences.

The Curia is appointed by the pope, but it has to help everyone.

It will eventually require changes in canon law, because the Curia has always been at the service of the pope, but now it will be at the service of the pope and other bishops, of the universal Church.

This is a major change.

Another major change is that we have given episcopal conferences a central place, even if there's still some doubts about what their juridical validity is.

But they are effective and a present situation in the world, so there's a section on them.

Synodality and collegiality have also come out, but the principal things are being at the service of the pope and the bishops.

What does it mean that the Curia will be at the service of the bishops' conferences? Continue reading

• Image: Crux

As Massimo Faggioli recently pointed out, it could be one of the most significant structural changes Pope Francis makes in a determined effort — contested by some members of the hierarchy — to bring about a more decentralized and synodal Church.

The Jesuit pope has spent his entire pontificate working on curia reform with the help of an international group of senior advisors called the Council of Cardinals (C9).

When he announced the establishment of this unprecedented body just four weeks after being elected Bishop of Rome, he said its purpose was "to advise him in the government of the universal Church and to study a plan for revising the apostolic constitution" that defines the curia's purpose and structures.

Most observers made little of the C9's primary mandate (to advise the pope on governing the worldwide Church) and focused almost exclusively on its second and more specific task at hand — re-writing the apostolic constitution.

They foresaw the project's completion within a year or so.

Instead, the reform has not yet been concluded despite the fact that Francis has been in office just a few months shy of six years.

During this long period those who eagerly want the reform have expressed frustration with the 81-year-old pope for not acting more swiftly.

But, in actual fact, Francis has been rolling out major changes in the Vatican structures all along. By reducing and merging a number of offices, for example, he has already begun changing the complexion of the curia.

Because of this, once an all-encompassing reform is finally unveiled, it may not seem to be as jolting. But with a pope who has not been afraid to make startling changes, that may not be a safe bet.

We'll all find out soon enough.

It's all but certain that before Francis begins the 7th year of his pontificate next March, the first Roman "outsider" to be elected pope in over a hundred years (the first since Pius X not to have studied or worked in Rome) will have issued a document that is likely to radically re-shape the Catholic Church's central bureaucracy.

Praedicate Evangelium

A substantial "final" draft of the new apostolic constitution on the curia was already under study by last summer. Greg Burke, head of the Holy See press office, told reporters in June that it has also been given a provisional title — Praedicate Evangelium (Preach the Gospel).

In the months since then the heads of the various Vatican offices have had the opportunity to review the draft and make further recommendations and comments.

The contents of the text, however, have been kept under wraps.

One thing we know for certain is that Pope Francis wants to decentralize decision-making authority in the Church.

And that means many Vatican offices — especially the congregations that have traditionally acted as minders of the local dioceses, Church institutions and Catholic individuals around the world — are likely to lose real power.

"The dicasteries of the Roman Curia are at the service of the pope and the bishops. They must help both the particular churches and the bishops' conferences. They are instruments of help," the pope said in September 2013 in a major interview with Italian Jesuit Fr. Antonio Spadaro.

"In some cases, however, when they are not functioning well, (these offices) run the risk of becoming institutions of censorship," Francis said. He then proclaimed words that sent shockwaves through the Vatican: "The Roman congregations are mediators; they are not middlemen or managers."

The pope gave that interview as he was putting the final touches on his most important document to date — the apostolic exhortation Evangelii gaudium, his blueprint for Church reform and renewal.

"It is not advisable for the pope to take the place of local bishops in the discernment of every issue which arises in their territory. In this sense, I am conscious of the need to promote a sound ‘decentralization,'" he wrote.

"Excessive centralization, rather than proving helpful, complicates the Church's life and her missionary outreach," he said. Continue reading

It should be moving faster.

The College of Cardinals met in consistory on Feb. 12-13 to review the progress made so far and to discuss future reforms.

The cardinals heard from the nine-member Council of Cardinals, which has been spearheading the reforms for Pope Francis.

The greatest progress has been made in reforming the finances of the Vatican, which has mainly focused on where the money is — the Vatican bank, the Vatican City State, the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, and the Congregation for Evangelization of Peoples.

A new Secretariat for the Economy was also created to supervise Vatican finances.

Financial reform is the easiest

Reforming Vatican finances is a priority for Pope Francis, who listened to the complaints about financial scandals from the cardinals at the time of his election.

In theory, this is the easiest part of Vatican reform.

Financial reform is neither rocket science nor theology; it is simply good management practices developed by businesses, governments, and nonprofits to provide transparency and accountability.

It requires clear procedures, training of employees, and proper supervision.

Applying all of this to the Vatican is a challenge, but everyone knows what is required.

There may be resistance, but strong, steady leadership can prevail. This does not mean that scandals will end. In the short run, there should be more scandals as the bad actors are caught by the new system.

Curial reform more questions

Reforming the Roman Curia, the part of the Vatican that helps the pope in his Petrine ministry, is more difficult.

The Roman Curia is made up of the Secretariat of State, nine congregations, 12 councils, three tribunals, and a host of commissions, academies, institutes and other offices.

Each of these was created in response to a perceived need or priority of a previous papacy.

Reforming the Roman Curia requires a theological vision for the Petrine ministry, a sense of what the church needs today, and a practical understanding of how to organize people to implement it.

First, what is the theological vision of the Petrine ministry? Is the pope an infallible, absolute monarch in whom all wisdom resides, or is he first among equals who acts collegially with the college of bishops?

If it is the former, then all important decisions will be referred to the pope or to those to whom he has delegated decision-making power in the Curia.

Any issue that is in doubt must go up the chain of command.

If it is the latter vision, then the church needs a system for encouraging discussion and consensus building in the college of bishops. Here, the Curia is in service to the pope and the college of bishops; curial officials are not decision-makers.

Second, what are the needs of the church today? Does the church need more stability or change, unity or pluralism, clearer teaching or better witness? Should it be challenging or accommodating, devotional or prophetic?

Another way of asking this question is: What are the pope's priorities? What does he want to focus on, and what does he want to delegate to others?

Third, all of this has to be organized into offices with people with specific responsibilities.

Management experts note that different types of organizations are organized differently. An entrepreneurial startup is not run like an established utility. An emergency room is not a factory. The Department of Motor Vehicles is not the Marines. A business office is not a research lab.

Why it's difficult

Reform of the Roman Curia is difficult because there is no consensus on the Petrine ministry, the needs of the church today, or the practical issues of management.

Perhaps the first place to start is by asking Vatican officials and local bishops what issues are being decided in Rome that should be decided at the local, national, or regional level.

For example, if a priest and his bishop agree that the priest should be laicized, why does his case have to go to Rome? Do liturgical translations have to be micromanaged in Rome?

This was one of the issues raised by the cardinals as they met in consistory on Feb. 12, according to Vatican spokesman Jesuit Fr. Federico Lombardi.

He reports that they discussed the notion of subsidiarity, or how the Roman Curia might share and divide responsibilities between local dioceses and bishops' conferences. But no details were given.

If this ever gets beyond the discussion stage, it will have a profound impact on the Vatican congregations, which have much of the decision-making authority in the Vatican.

But instead of discussing the congregations, the focus of attention during the February consistory was shifted to the councils, which have little decision-making authority.

The 12 pontifical councils were formed after the Second Vatican Council, and most were set up to help implement the council. Most have names that reflect the prominent issues of the council: laity, Christian unity, family, justice and peace, migrants and refugees, interreligious dialogue, culture, and communications. Many dioceses in the United States also opened offices to deal with at least some of these topics.

A pontifical council is headed by a president, usually an archbishop but sometimes a cardinal. Under him is a secretary and undersecretary, plus a staff.

Each council also has an advisory board of cardinals, bishops, and sometimes laity.

They can also have lay and clerical consultors.

In fact, most of the pontifical councils act like think tanks rather than bureaucracies.

They have little decision-making authority.

The Council for the Laity has the canonical authority to approve the statutes of international Catholic lay organizations, and that is about it.

For the most part, councils only have the power to exhort and persuade, not to order.

So what do these councils do?

For the most part, they talk, write, and publish on the topics of their competencies. They receive visitors interested in these topics, and they attend international meetings on the topics.

In all of these ways, they push the pope's views on these topics with bishops, clergy, and laity as well as in the international arena, but they don't have the authority to force anyone to do anything.

Anything they want to publish must be reviewed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and by the Secretariat of State.

There is a proposal to merge some of these councils into two congregations, one dealing with laity and one dealing with justice, peace and the environment. It is hoped that this will reduce staff and make the offices more efficient.

The first congregation will be created by merging the current councils for laity and family.

The second congregation will be created from merging the old councils for justice and peace, health care, migrants and refugees, and include a new office for safeguarding creation.

The creation of these two congregations is being presented as a major reform. "Now the laity will have a congregation just like the clergy, bishops, and religious," it is asserted.

Only cardinals could think this is a big deal.

The laity certainly do not care.

The only real difference here will be that a congregation must be headed by a cardinal while a council can be headed by an archbishop.

A layperson will not be able to head the Congregation for the Laity, but could head an office, like an office for the family, within the congregation.

The most likely result of these mergers is that less will be done. Fewer documents will be written, fewer conferences will be attended, fewer initiatives will be taken because there will be fewer employees, and their initiatives will have to go through another layer of review before seeing the light of day.

Keep Cardinals and Archbishops to minimum

In my opinion, the best result of these mergers is that there will be three fewer positions that must be filled by archbishops and might be filled by cardinals in the Curia.

Anything that reduces the number of archbishops and cardinals in the Curia is good.

On the other hand, there will be two more positions that must be held by cardinals. That is bad.

Pope Francis will be dead before we see real reform

That it took the Council of Cardinals two years to come up with this reshuffling of boxes on the organizational chart simply shows they really don't know what they are doing.

It should have taken two months to develop this plan, not two years.

At this pace, Pope Francis will be dead before real reform hits the Curia.

A conspiracy theorist would say that getting the Council of Cardinals to focus on this reorganization was a way of distracting them from any real reform in the Curia.

Let the cardinals talk about the councils. Keep them away from the congregations.

Fr Thomas Reece SJ
Fr Reece is a senior analyst for NCR and author of Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church

Reprinted with permission from Fr Reece's blog on NCR

They will also examine each of the Pontifical Councils, weighing up measures for mergers and changes.

One proposal is for a new figure, a "moderator Curiae", who would coordinate the work of the various dicasteries.

Another is for a new Congregation for the Laity, which would incorporate some of the Pontifical Councils.

Continue reading