In wake of rejection of dubia Pope cancels meeting with cardinals

EWTN Great Britain ^ | November 17, 2016 | Deacon Nick Donnelly

[ebb tide]

In an unprecedented development in the post Vatican II Church Pope Francis has cancelled his meeting with the world's cardinals at the consistory he convoked to take place on Saturday 19th November. The Holy Father's surprise decision follows the unusual step he has taken not to respond to the dubia -- the five questions --- submitted to him by senior cardinals to clarify confusion arising from his post-synodal exhortation, Amoris Laetitia.

A consistory is a formal meeting of the college of cardinals convoked and chaired by the pope that are usually conducted in secret, though can be held in public. The Code of Canon Law sets out the purposes of consistories:

Can. 353 §1 Cardinals assist the Supreme Pastor of the Church in collegial fashion particularly in Consistories, in which they are gathered by order of the Roman Pontiff and under his presidency. Consistories are either ordinary or extraordinary.

§2 In an ordinary Consistory all Cardinals, or at least those who are in Rome, are summoned for consultation on certain grave matters of more frequent occurrence, or for the performance of especially solemn acts.

§3 All Cardinals are summoned to an extraordinary Consistory, which takes place when the special needs of the Church and more serious matters suggest it.

§4 Only an ordinary Consistory in which certain solemnities are celebrated, can be public, that is when, in addition to the Cardinals, Prelates, representatives of civil states and other invited persons are admitted.

In the light of this, it appears unusual that having convoked a consistory the pope is not meeting with his college of cardinals to discuss important issues facing the Church.

Marco Tosatti, Italian journalist and Vatican expert, reports Pope Francis's decision to cancel his meeting with the college of cardinals. He describes it as a "strange Consistory", strange because, unlike the other two previous occasions, the Pope will not meet the cardinals in Rome the day before. Tosatti observes that a consistory is a very special event in the life of the Church because it creates new cardinals. It is also a special occasion for the pope to "see gathered around him the College, including those who rarely come ad limina, to receive information, exchange ideas and perceptions, and send messages." Marco Tosatti gives details of the unconventional programme

This year, there will not be a meeting with all the cardinals. The program provides only for the ceremony of creation of new cardinals in St. Peter's Basilica, at 11 Saturday, November 19, and the mass the next day. The Saturday afternoon from 16.30 to 18.30 are provided courtesy visits, “di calore" in curial jargon.

Pope Francis used his first consistory to tentatively introduce his plan to change the Church's teaching on communion for the divorced and civilly "re-married'. He invited Cardinal Kasper -- the long-time proponent of radical change in the Church's perennial teaching -- to address his fellow cardinals At the time Marco Tosatti reported that Cardinal Kasper's addresse caused consternation among the cardinals:

Card. Ruini noted that some 85% percent of cardinals who spoke up after Kasper were against Kasper’s proposals. He opined of those who said nothing that perhaps they were simply “embarrassed”.

In the light of Pope Francis's other unprecedented decison not to respond to the cardinals' concerns about Amoris Laetitia, expressed to him in the traditional form of a dubia, it is being speculated that the Holy Father has cancelled his meeting with the college of cardinals in order to avoid discussing the dubia and his decision about it.

Comment

One of the much vaunted acheivements of the Second Vatican Council was its re-discovery and renewal of the ancient Catholic principles of collegiality and synodality as visible signs of the communion of the Church. As a consequence, consistories and synods were developed as practical instruments of ecclesial government and liturgical events in the life of the Church that manifested the communion of the Mystical Body of Christ and the People of God.

In light of the serious issues raised by the cardinals' dubia and Pope Francis's decision not to respond to their concerns it was even more important that he and the cardinals met during the consistory to begin the process of dealing with these sensitive issues that are vital for the future of the Church. The Holy Father's decision to cancel his meeting with the college of cardinals only adds to the sense of growing concern.

[Mat_Helm]

This Pope is causing damage to the body of Christ. Yet he has time for politics by discussing the American election and time to delve into world politics with global warming which is a political lie with the climate affected by the sun and not man. He has time to support homosexual sin and gay rights, but no time to help stop Christian genocide in the middle east. He has false compassion for the sinner who divorces and remarries and no compassion for the victims and families and children who attend mass at the same parish and church and watch as their father or mother with their new partner go to communion and wonder why the church would accept and allow such a thing! Christ told Marry Magdalene to go and sin no more and not to go back into adultery. Christ will deal with this Pope and the devil that is misleading the pontiff.

[heterosupremacist]

Re : Post #3 ~

* Maybe like Reagan, John Paul II left his shoes too big to be filled by anyone in the immediate future.*

I strongly disagree. JPII was a great Pope, I agree with that - but I believe Benedict XVI would have been an even better, and more Traditionalist Pontiff; if he was allowed to reign without so much pressure exerted on I’m by the College of Cardinals.

[heterosupremacist]

I’m = him, D’oh!

[Repealthe17thAmendment]

Attendance and finances are an important issue, to be sure. But there are some Cardinals, Burke is one of them, that doesn't seem to consider the "worldly" aspects when it comes to doctrine.

For them, it is not about marketing, it is about the soul of the church.

[stocksthatgoup]

Da Pope

[Buckeye McFrog]

For them, it is not about marketing, it is about the soul of the church.

Agreed. I am saying I do not believe enough of his fellow Cardinals are down with the struggle.

[Arthur McGowan]

I am certain that Cardinal Burke is sincerely and deeply pained by the thought of denouncing a Pope as a heretic.

Not being a holy man like Cardinal Burke, I relish the thought of Cardinal Bergoglio boarding a plane for Buenos Aires, never to be heard of again.

[ebb tide]

Pope Francis 'snubs' pomp and ceremony of Vatican Beethoven concert

Bergoglio is the ultimate narcissist.

[Daffy]

No doubt, the chair is empty.

[piusv]

Indeed.