A Vatican cardinal pulls back the curtain

UPDATE: The Vatican on Tuesday issued a statement saying that Cardinal Braz de Aviz and Cardinal Muller had met Monday and “reaffirmed their common commitment” to the program of changes foreseen for the LCWR.

The statement blamed the media for its suggesting there was a divergence between the doctrinal and religious congregations at the Vatican “in their approach to the renewal of religious life.”

Whatever spin the Vatican chooses to put on this, Cardinal Braz de Aviz was clearly criticizing the process by which the LCWR review was handled. He made it equally clear that he would support the doctrinal congregation’s conclusions.

This is from the Vatican statement today:

Recent media commentary on remarks made on Sunday May the 5th during the General Assembly of the International Union of Superiors General by Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life, has suggested a divergence between the CDF and the Congregation for Religious in their approach to the renewal of Religious Life. Such an interpretation of the Cardinal’s remarks is not justified. The Prefects of these two Congregations work closely together according to their specific responsibilities and have collaborated throughout the process of the Doctrinal Assessment of the LCWR. Archbishop Gerhard Müller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Cardinal Braz de Aviz met yesterday and reaffirmed their common commitment to the renewal of Religious Life, and particularly to the Doctrinal Assessment of the LCWR and the program of reform it requires, in accordance with the wishes of the Holy Father.

My post on Monday:

The comments Sunday by Brazilian Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, on how the Vatican’s handling of the investigation of a group of U.S. Catholic sisters caused him “much pain,” are stunning for several reasons.

First, the cardinal made it clear that the decision last year to insist on reform of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the largest group of U.S. sisters, was taken without consultation with his own office, the Vatican congregation that oversees religious orders around the world.

That opens a window on how little communication occurs between Vatican offices, even on matters that clearly require a joint approach and careful deliberation.

It also underlines how the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which issued the assessment of LCWR last year, continues to act as if there is no need for dialogue – not even with others in the Roman Curia.

As Cardinal Braz de Aviz said, the whole episode illustrates a power struggle dynamic at work inside the Vatican. “This struggle of who is going to win is not good,” he said, according to the report filed by the National Catholic Reporter.

And he zeroed in on another dangerous aspect of the way the Roman Curia operates: at least in the past, access to the pope has been limited, and influence on papal decisions may depend on who gets the pope’s ear. As the cardinal put it, “the problem very often is what kind of news goes to the Holy Father.”

What makes Cardinal Braz de Aviz’s comments all the more fascinating is that they seemed to express a personal cry of conscience. That may reflect a new freedom of expression at the Vatican under Pope Francis.

From the NCR report:

He also said it was the first time he was discussing the lack of consultation publicly, saying previously he “didn’t have the courage to speak.”

I’m guessing that the Brazilian cardinal discussed all this with Pope Francis before speaking Sunday to a meeting of international representatives of women religious orders in Rome. I don’t think, given Braz de Aviz’s remarks about the need for consultation, that he would have blindsided the new pope on this topic.

His comments also put a recent statement from the doctrinal congregation in a curious light. On April 15, Archbishop Gerhard Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, told the LCWR that Pope Francis had “reaffirmed the findings of the assessment and the program of reform for this conference of major superiors.”

Cardinal Braz de Aviz confirmed that the doctrinal review of the LCWR would go forward. Indeed, it would have been unusual for the new pope to undo a project that was essentially completed under his predecessor.

But it also seems clear that the process employed – in particular, the lack of real discussion at the highest levels of the Vatican – is due for an overhaul. And it would seem to make the idea of a meeting between Pope Francis and LCWR leadership all the more necessary.

The Vatican has a retired pope in residence

When Pope Benedict announced that after retirement he planned to live in a monastic setting inside the Vatican, I was one of those who saw potential problems in the arrangement.

Too much contact and cooperation between the former pope and the current pope would give the impression of a “tag team” pontificate, I thought. On the other hand, with Benedict living practically next door, Pope Francis might feel compelled to ask his advice on important issues – and if so, would the new pope feel free to reject that advice and go his own way?

Today, as Pope Benedict moves into his Vatican rooms, I’m less inclined to worry about all that.

It seems clear that the two men will indeed be communicating. Just on a human level, it would be hard to imagine Pope Francis treating the retired pope as some sort of “untouchable.” Francis paid Benedict a warm visit in Castel Gandolfo in March and was there to welcome him today at the Vatican.

And it makes sense that the new pope would want to hear the opinions and advice of the former pope on a wide variety of questions – including, of course, that famous report on Vatileaks and power struggles in the Vatican, a report that Benedict commissioned late in his pontificate and then left for his successor.

None of this consultation should cause a crisis in the church. On the contrary, I think it will help the church better understand the papacy, more as an office and less as a sacred status. Benedict set that office aside and is no longer pope, and whatever advice or reflections he may offer today come from a “private citizen,” so to speak.

So why Pope Benedict’s insistence that he will be “hidden from the world”? Because I think he also understands that whatever his working relationship with Pope Francis, he’ll have to greatly limit his other encounters, his public statements and even, perhaps, his published writings.

Benedict is keenly aware of how information travels through back channels at the Vatican and through electronic media around the world. Even an offhand remark by the retired pope – say, to a group of German Catholics or to a cardinal over tea – could echo within the hierarchy or across the blogosphere, and possibly be construed as criticism or divergence from the current pope.

Allegiance to Benedict still runs strong in some church circles, and there are those who would not hesitate to invoke the retired pope’s supposed opinion to impede or slow the projects of Pope Francis. Precisely to cut off that possibility, I expect Benedict to be true to his word and maintain a prudent silence.

What’s intriguing is that there is still no attempt to codify any of this, and no official job description for a retired pope. Benedict is doing it his way, but the next time may be quite different.

Benedict may have some feline company in the Vatican

It looks like Pope Benedict will be able to enjoy the company of cats in his retirement home inside the Vatican.

This curious photo, made available by the Vatican newspaper, shows a black-and-white spotted cat ranging through an area next to the Mater Ecclesiae monastery, where the retired pope took up lodgings today.

The Vatican Gardens is said to have a number of stray cats roaming the grounds, and they will find a friend in the former pope. As a cardinal, he famously fed the stray cats in the Borgo neighborhood where he lived, according to Vatican officials.

As pope, we were told he never kept a house cat, but from was rumored to have fed the cats in the Vatican Gardens. Maybe this one is an old acquaintance.