THE EFFORT TO DECENTRALIZE DECISION-MAKING CONTINUES

The Council of Cardinals met with the Holy Father for three days, June 12 through June 14.
All members of the Council were present apart from Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston.

The working sessions were dedicated to further consideration of the ways in which the Roman Curia can better serve the local Churches. 

Among the various proposals under consideration is a larger consultation board made up also of members from consecrated life and the laity, for candidates proposed for appointment as bishop.

The Council also discussed the possibility of transferring some functions from the Roman Congregations to the local Bishops or Episcopal Conferences, in a spirit of healthy decentralization.  

For example, the transfer of the Congregation for the Clergy to national Episcopal Conference for examination and authorization for: the priestly ordination of an unmarried permanent deacon; the passage to new marriage for a widowed permanent deacon; the request for priestly ordination by a widowed permanent deacon.

The Cardinals gave further consideration to various Congegations of the Curia, in particular the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples,  the Congregation for Interreligious Dialogue; the Congregation for the Oriental Churches; the Commission for Legislative Texts; and three tribunals: the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Segnatura and the Tribunal of the Roman Rota.

Cardinal George Pell provided an update on the work of the Secretariat for the Economy, of which he is the President. Particular attention was paid to the steps ahead made in the process of planning of economic resources and in monitoring financial plans for the first trimester of 2017 which have substantially confirmed, with few exceptions, the budget data. Shortly the budget process will begin for 2018, and the monitoring for the second trimester of 2017.

The Prefect of the Secretariat for Communications presented a report on the state of the reform of the communication system of the Holy See; he illustrated the economic and management progress of the SPC, demonstrating positive results. 

The next meeting of the Council of Cardinals will take place in September.