Leaked letter from cardinals is a 'disruption' of Synod, papal spokesman says
October 13, 2015
Leaked reports about a letter sent by a group of cardinals to Pope Francis, expressing concerns about the manipulation of the Synod, have been a "disruption," according to Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press office.
In a statement released October 13, Father Lombardi noted that the authors of the much-discussed letters intended it to remain confidential. "Therefore it would be inappropriate to allow it to have any influence," he said.
Cardinal George Pell, who has acknowledged writing to the Pope, has said that neither the text published in L'Espresso nor the list of signatories was accurate, Father Lombardi pointed out.
The Vatican spokesman also noted that four of the cardinals who were originally identified as having signed the letter-- Cardinals Erdo, Piacenza, Scola, and Vingt-Trois-- denied having signed. (America magazine has published a different list of 13 cardinals who had allegedly signed the letter; see the separate CWN headline story.)
Regarding the substance of the cardinals' letter, which focused on the procedures of the Synod, Father Lombardi said that these questions had been addressed promptly by both Pope Francis and Cardinal Baldisseri, the general secretary of the Synod.
Father Lombardi made a special note of reporting that Cardinal Wilfried Napier, one of the prelates who had reportedly signed the letter, wanted to make it clear that he did not question the authority of Pope Francis to appoint the members of a 10-man committee that will draft the Synod's final text.
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Posted by: unum -
Oct. 14, 2015 10:47 AM ET USA
The Vatican Press Office and this Synod are indications of the work that remains for the Holy Father to transform the Vatican from a political body to a religious institution. The present Vatican reminds American Catholics of the current mess in our nation's capital!
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Posted by: ElizabethD -
Oct. 13, 2015 2:12 PM ET USA
Cardinal Dolan, who is not ashamed of having signed it, now says in a radio interview that the letter was in Italian and was signed BEFORE the synod began, and Pope Francis already responded at the synod hall to the concerns. Cardinal Dolan says he trusts Pope Francis.
