At the end of the evening on Sept. 24, the pope accepted Angelo Becciu's resignation from his position and responsibilities as cardinal. Days later, Pope Francis named two trusted men to succeed Becciu, and he made them cardinals.
To the position of prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, he named the man who for the last seven years has been the secretary of the Council of Cardinals. He's a man with a clear vision of a Church on the move.
CARD. MARCELLO SEMERARO
Prefect, Congregation for the Causes of Saints
“Today our task is not to defend God. Today our task is to defend man. Often I repeat, as St. John Paul II told us in his first encyclical, 'Man is the path of the Church.' If we lose our sense of humanity, our sense of what is human; if this sense of man is allowed to be replaced by other things, then we will no longer have a place to put our feet.”
The new pontifical delegate before the Order of Malta, to represent the pope throughout the Order's institutional reforms, is one of the Holy See's most esteemed diplomats, Silvano Tomasi.
CARD. SILVANO TOMASI
Pontifical Delegate before the Order of Malta
“I am at the service of this Order, to renew certain forms of its internal structure, such as social and humanitarian service. The Order is doing a lot of good, but as with all institutions with roots in past centuries, it is in need of continuous renovation.”
Both cardinals favor a Church that defends human beings and doubles its efforts to be coherent.
CARD. MARCELLO SEMERARO
Prefect, Congregation for the Causes of Saints
“It's a problem if we build robots capable of recognizing smells while human beings don't even know what perfume is. I think this is the first mission of the Lord's disciples. I jokingly say that God can defend Himself, but we have to help Him in the work of creation.”
CARD. SILVANO TOMASI
Pontifical Delegate before the Order of Malta
“We must double our efforts to be coherent with our Christian lives, because words alone don't provide credibility. We must overcome the scandals there have been. We must overcome isolation, fear and self-interest.”
They are two men with a lot of experience. They are familiar with Pope Francis' pastoral leanings, and they agree with the idea of cultivating a Church that faces current societal challenges with transparency.
Daniel Díaz Vizzi
Translation: CT
