Council of Cardinals polishes draft for new apostolic constitution

September 12, 2018

The Council of Cardinals concluded a three-day session in Rome on September 12, announcing that during the meeting the group had refined the draft of a new apostolic constitution reorganizing the offices of the Roman Curia.

In a statement at the conclusion of the meeting, the cardinals repeated their expression of support for Pope Francis, and also their suggestion that the Pope might replace some of its members.

Three members of the Council of Cardinals did not attend the September meeting:

• Cardinal George Pell, who is on a leave of absence from his office, while he faces criminal charges in his native Australia;
• Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz, the retired Archbishop of Santiago, Chile, who has faced heavy criticism involving his role in that country’s sex-abuse crisis. Cardinal Errazuriz is also 85 years old—ten years beyond normal retirement age; and
• Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kinshasa, Congo, who is approaching his 79th birthday.

The next meeting of the Council of Cardinals—the 27th such session—has been scheduled for December 10-12.

 

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Further information:

• Briefing of the Vice Director of the Holy See Press Office