Council of Cardinals, Day 1 report

At 1:00pm today, the Director of the Vatican Press Office, Father Frederico Lombardi held a Briefing on the subject of the meeting between Pope Francis and the Council of Cardinals which is taking place at the Vatican.  Following are some of the major points which Father Lombardi discussed with the journalists:

The members of the Council celebrated Mass with the Holy Father at the Casa Santa Martha yesterday morning (October 1, 2013), and again this morning.  They will also celebrate Mass together tomorrow morning.

The first meeting of the College was held yesterday morning in the private library on the third floor of the Vatican Apostolic Palace but the other meetings (yesterday afternoon, today and tomorrow) will take place at the Casa Santa Martha in a small room which will accommodate the logistics of the gathering.  All the participants are also residing at the Casa while they are in Rome for these meetings.

The work is intense and prolonged: the Council of Cardinals meets in the mornings from 9:00am to 12:30pm and again in the afternoons from 4:00pm to about 7:00pm.  The Pope participated yesterday morning and again yesterday afternoon; he will join them again this afternoon, since this morning he was leading the General Audience.

The Cardinals must first properly understand the significance of the Chirograph (the official document which instituted the Council, giving it the juridical and stable status needed for its work even after this meeting is concluded).  Regarding the members of the Council, it is not so much a matter of continental delegates, but of members of the episcopal College possessing rich experience and coming from important dioceses, from various parts of the world, able to comprehend the problems and expectations of the universal Church.  These are people who enjoy the greatest trust and appreciation of the Holy Father: Wise persons, inspired by his own sentiments.

Yesterday morning, after a brief introduction given by the Pope, there was an introductory reflection shared on the ecclesiology of Vatican Council II, in order to situate the participants in a climate of work which is not limited to organizational matters only, but of a wide-ranging and ecclesiological nature.

Points of reflection addressed included: the mission of the Church, the relationship between the universal Church and the local Church, communion and participation: collegiality, the Church of the poor, the laity in the Church, a spirit of service in all instances facing the Church and the responsibility of all people for the common good.

All the participants were invited to present syntheses of their own suggestions, including suggestions they had received through consultations prior to this meeting.  By consensus, the Cardinals agreed on the classification of major themes which will be dealt with.  Throughout this process, the atmosphere continues to be serene, relaxed and open so that it is easy to detect the points of convergence.

Yesterday afternoon the Cardinals dealt with the theme of the Synod of Bishops.  They gave priority to this theme based on its importance for the participation of the episcopacy, and also based on the urgency of having to prepare for the next Synod.  The new Secretary of the Synod, His Excellency, Lorenzo Baldisseri was introduced to the Council of Cardinals.  New regulations for the work of the Synod (extraordinary and ordinary Synods) were discussed.  Contributions were also entertained for improving the regulations governing the Synods.  In the near future, details about the theme of the next Synod, the dates and its further development will be communicated.  The Holy Father has already given his consent to an anthropological theme which will concern the human person and the family in the light of the gospel.

The Cardinals reflected about how to deal with the theme of pastoral care of families and who should be entrusted with the study of this concern which has been voiced on previous occasions by the Holy Father himself.

Another theme considered relates to the reform of the Curia, especially in light of its call to service for the universal Church: along with associate questions, complexities and the articulation of these reforms as was previously noted in the report provided to the Holy Father by the dicasteries concerning their coordination, the functioning of the Secretariat of State etc.  As expected, many suggestions regarding this subject have been received.  It will take some time and much reflection in order to determine the best way to proceed.

This afternoon, the meeting of the Council of Cardinals continued in the Casa Santa Martha.