The Council of Cardinals expresses its solidarity with the pope “for what has happened in recent weeks,” and adds that “the Holy See will soon formulate possible and necessary clarifications” in this regard.
The Council was founded five years ago to help the pope reform the Curia and governing of some Church issues.
Now that the reform project is practically finished, they have asked the pope to “reflect on the work, structure and composition of this Council, taking into account the advanced age of some of its members.”
In this way they are making it easier for Pope Francis to name new members and to let others go.
In fact, Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz, from Santiago de Chile, is not participating in this meeting, perhaps because of the delicate situation of the Chilean bishops who put their posts at the disposal of the pope to face the crisis of credibility after incomplete responses to cases of abuse.
Neither does Cardinal George Pell, who will be tried in Australia for alleged abuse of minors, of whom he declares himself “Not guilty.”
The Vatican is not distributing images of these meetings with the pope, only of this Mass with some members of the Council.
