Pope Francis Appoints Vatican Reform Board
Source: nymag.com
On Saturday morning, Vatican officials announced that Pope Francis had selected eight cardinals from all over the world to study 1988’s Apostolic Constitution of Pope John Paul II with an eye toward reforming the Catholic Church.
While the group’s formation sounds like good news for those who’d hoped that Francis would usher in a period of (relative) change, a spokesman was sure to mention that "its main function is to ’advise’ the pope" and that it "has no legislative power."
Still, the National Catholic Reporter’s John Allen points out that the advisory board’s makeup — it only includes one member of the Roman Curia, which is the central governing body of the Church — at least indicates that Francis is open to listening to people outside the establishment responsible for the Vatican’s current, less-than-stellar image.
Article from: nymag.com
Pope Francis says hypocrisy undermines Church’s credibility
By Steve Scherer | Reuters
Pope Francis on Sunday said clergy and Christians must not betray the word of God with their actions or they undermine the credibility of the Catholic Church.
Francis, elected a month ago, inherited a Church struggling to restore credibility after a series of scandals, including the sexual abuse of children by priests.
The pope spoke at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, where he celebrated Mass. He also greeted pilgrims and local Church members earlier in St. Peter’s square.
"Inconsistency on the part of pastors and the faithful between what they say and what they do, between word and manner of life, is undermining the Church’s credibility," the pontiff said in his homily.
"Those who listen to us and observe us must be able to see in our actions what they hear from our lips, and so give glory to God!"
In his first major decision on Saturday, Francis set up an advisory board of cardinals to help him govern the Church and reform its troubled central administration, which was riddled by infighting and alleged corruption under Pope Benedict.
Benedict left a secret report for Francis on the problems in the administration, known as the Curia, which came to light when sensitive documents were stolen from the pope’s desk and leaked by his butler in what became known as the "Vatileaks" scandal.
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Read the full article at: reuters.com