New Vatican prefect criticizes predecessor, promises to 'rebuild trust' among religious

July 05, 2011

The prefect of the Congregation for Religious has said that his main goal is to “rebuild trust” in the Vatican office—implicitly criticizing his predecessor for efforts to address doctrinal and disciplinary problems in religious orders.

Archbishop Joao Braz de Aviz told the magazine 30 Giorni that his congregation must recover the confidence of religious because of “some positions taken previously.” His reference was evidently to Cardinal Franc Rodé, who headed the Congregation for Bishops before Archbishop Braz took over in January.

Cardinal Rodé had insisted on calling attention to the rapid decline in membership of many religious orders, and suggested that some religious communities had “simply acquiesced to the disappearance of religious life or at least of their community,” while others “have opted for ways that take them outside communion with Christ in the Catholic Church.” It was Cardinal Rodé’s initiative to undertake an apostolic visitation of women’s religious orders in the US—a visitation that is now winding down, with ample indications that the Vatican will avoid any confrontation with fractious nuns.

Archbishop Braz said that under his leadership the Congregation for Religious would emphasize listening to the concerns of religious communities and work “without pre-emptive condemnations."

 

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Further information:

• Vatican's point man for religious life: 'We've started to listen again' (National Catholic Reporter)