Posted on 10/23/2006 6:12:26 AM PDT by NYer
Looking rested after a week in Rome, Cardinal Francis George said Sunday that he had a surprise meeting with Pope Benedict XVI and that he prayed for an ex-pastor who was accused of stealing nearly $200,000 while the cardinal was away.
On his second day in Rome, as planned, George attended the canonization of Mother Theodore Guerin of Indiana, the first U.S. saint in six years. What wasn't planned, he said, was an invitation that day to concelebrate mass with the pope. In a concelebration, several priests say mass together.
"I hadn't expected that, and I was very pleased to do that," he said.
George said the pope was worried about the state of the church in the United States.
"He was very concerned about the seminary system and the morale of priests who have been ordained for some years, especially in the current crisis," he said.
While George was gone, Rev. Mark Sorvillo, a priest for 28 years, was charged with stealing more than $190,000 from St. Margaret Mary parish on the Far North Side as it struggled to keep the doors of its school open. Authorities accused Sorvillo of using secret money-market accounts and credit cards issued to the parish to finance trips to Europe and buy expensive meals.
"He is in my prayers, as all our priests are, and in my heart," George said. "I hope the truth will come out and that the parish will receive back whatever might have been taken from it."
Nearly three months after undergoing treatment for bladder cancer, George said he felt fairly well in Rome.
"I took a nap every afternoon," he said. "That helped a lot, but then that's a Roman custom anyway."
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
Confirmation that Pope Benedict XVI is being kept informed. Expect that he will take action.
Thanks for the ping
Happy Feast of St. John of Caistrano
"I took a nap every afternoon," he said. "That helped a lot, but then that's a Roman custom anyway."
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Prayers for Cardinal George. He sounds pretty upbeat.
Are you sure this shouldn't read "He was very concerned about the MORALITY of priests who have been ordained for some years ...."
Give me more Young Fogeys!
**George said the pope was worried about the state of the church in the United States.**
Pope Benedict XVI, keep watching; we, too, are concerned.
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