The pope's major project

adminonNovember 11, 2021January 5, 2022Leave a Comment

It's a mammoth project that the pope already started five years ago. He wants to reform the Curia with his advisors. Now indications are that results may be published this year.

The Pope's planned document on curia reform could be published in December or February. The Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias ames this, as he said in an interview with the U.S. magazine "National Catholic Reporter". From 10. to 12. December, as well as in February, the next two meetings of the Council of Cardinals (K9), which supports Pope Francis in the reform of the Curia and of which Gracias is a member, are planned.

Another sign of an imminent release is the fact that Pope Francis last week appointed a church lawyer to the council as another secretary. The latter is to help revise the planned new Apostolic Constitution with the working title "Praedicate Evangelium" (Proclaim the Gospel) before it becomes the Constitution "Pastor Bonus" (The Good Shepherd) on John Paul II's curia reform. from the year 1988 replaced.

Support local churches

Without going into details, Cardinal Gracias indicated the thrust of the reform would be a service to the local churches, that is, the Church in each country. "The initial idea was to help the local churches by helping the Holy Father," Gracias said. "Now the idea is to help the Holy Father by supporting the local churches." This is "a decisive change," according to the archbishop of Mumbai (Bombay) and president of the Indian Bishops' Conference.

At the last meeting of the Council of Cardinals, he said, they also reminded the pope that they had been in office for five years and were ready to both quit and move on. "We wanted to make the decision easier for him," Gracias explained. The pope has not said "no," "that means he is thinking about it".

At least two members of "K9" are under public prere: George Pell, who is on trial in Australia for abuse allegations, and Chilean Francisco Errazuriz, who is accused of covering up abuse cases in his homeland. From Germany, Reinhard Cardinal Marx is a member of the panel.

"Be well prepared"

The meeting of all presidents of bishops' conferences around the world that Francis has called for 21. by 24. According to Gracias, the reform that the Pope has convened on February to strengthen the fight against sexual abuse in the Church should be "well prepared and not just cosmetic". Although the preparation time was somewhat short. In the end, however, "we should have something in our hands to take home: Knowledge, confidence, skills," the Indian cardinal said.

Francis initiated the first steps toward curia reform as early as June 2013, three months before the first meeting of the initial eight cardinals: Marx, Maradiaga, O'Malley, Pell, Gracias, Errazuriz Ossa, Monsengwo Pasinya and Bertello. Building on measures taken by Benedict XVI. the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican Bank IOR was established in June 2013, jurisdiction in Vatican criminal law was reformed in July, and a Committee for Financial Security was created in August to control against money laundering and terrorist financing.

Steps toward reform

In February 2014, the Economic Secretariat and its parent Economic Council were established. At its head, two K9 people: Pell and Marx. This was followed in March 2014 by the establishment of the Child Protection Commission, led by Boston Archbishop Cardinal O'Malley. With him, a third member of the K9 is leading a refoundation of the curia reform. Pell has had to rest his posts since July 2017 as he faces trial in Australia.

In June 2015, the pope began to bundle all media activities the Vatican; the involvement of the newspaper "Osservatore Romano" is still pending. In summer 2016, the pope merged several councils into large dicasteries. Out came that for laity, family and life under Cardinal Kevin Farrell, as well as the dicastery "for the promotion of integral human development," according to the unwieldy Vatican vernacular. Under Cardinal Peter Turkson's leadership, this authority has developed a flurry of activity, such as international conferences on disarmament, human rights or health ies.

South African flag © Aleks Shutter (shutterstock)

In South Africa, self-proclaimed prophets are once again attracting attention – in addition to their "miracles," mainly through abuse and fraud. Now there is discussion about legal regulation of churches.

Corruption, record unemployment and Corona: South Africa has no shortage of problems. Despite this – or perhaps because the abuses are so debilitating – a very different ie has dominated the headlines in recent days: self-proclaimed prophets.

They are not a new phenomenon in the Cape Republic, but recently they have once again caused a stir through scandals and machinations.

Rich pastor with alleged remedies

Most often beaming from the front pages: the Prophet Shepherd Bushiri – or as his critics call him, alluding to his first name: "the wolf in shepherd's pelt". The evangelical preacher and leader of the "Enlightened Christian Movement" is considered one of the richest pastors in Africa. His empire includes mansions and jet.

Not least thanks to the "miracles" he says he works, he regularly gathers tens of thousands of believers in soccer stadiums and in front of the TV set. Bushiri also claims to have found a cure for HIV/Aids and corona or to have floated in front of the faithful.

Fled the country after bail

Barely two weeks ago, he stunned the nation again – when he apparently vanished into thin air. The judiciary is investigating him for money laundering and fraud. Shortly after he and his wife were married for 11.000 euros, they fled to their home country of Malawi.

South African and Malawian authorities denied that their accomplice was Malawi's President Lazarus Chakwera, who visited his counterpart in Pretoria on the day of the escape. But the rumors won't stop: Was the preacher smuggled out of the country with the help of a diplomatic passport, as the Sunday Independent claims with reference to diplomats and intelligence services??

Evangelical clergyman on trial

"I have serious concerns about the way religion is being abused here to get money," says South African pastor Peter-John Pearson in Cape Town. Bushiri is not the only evangelical cleric causing a stir.

For nearly two years, Nigerian pastor Tim Omotoso, hailed by his followers as a spiritual medium, has been facing charges of human trafficking and sexual assault. Now his accuser died of covid-19.

Government agency hunts for unholy prophets

Also targeted by investigators is the Kwasizabantu Christian mission church in eastern South Africa. Its leader, German-born Erlo Stegen, is accused of subduing his hundreds of followers with Bible and whip and using them as labor slaves for his business empire. So claimed former members of the mission at the hearings of the Commission for the Protection of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Groups (CRL).

Until recently, hardly anyone knew this government agency. For several years, however, the guardians of religion have been increasingly in the public eye as they hunt down unholy prophets. The authorities are currently investigating the self-proclaimed "Archbishop" Stephen Zondo. The allegedly sexually abused and exploited his believers and laundered money.

Everyone has a right to religion

In the wake of recent scandals, calls for legal regulation of churches have been renewed in South Africa. The CRL commission had already recommended to the parliament in 2017. But the government has so far shied away from this. "We condemn abuse and support limiting the right to questionable religious practices, but only insofar as it is reasonable and justifiable in an open and democratic society" said earlier this year the chair of the relevant parliamentary committee, Faith Muthambi.

Everyone has a right to his religion – even if it seems "bizarre, illogical and irrational".

Over-regulation of churches would do more harm

In fact, those responsible are not alone in this. Many traditional churches, including the Catholic Church, also spoke out against general political interference in the faith sector.

Rev. Pearson favors charges against clergy black sheep. However, "over-regulation" of churches could do more harm than good.

For a quarter century and several difficult bishop appointments, the Swiss diocese of Chur has had hot times. The wish of the Catholics of Graubunden, Schwyz and Zurich is a simple one: peace at last.

That's not really how you want church to be: counting down a clock for years until finally the bishop reaches the age limit. But that's how many feel in the Swiss diocese of Chur.

There, the pointer will stand at zero in April: That's when Vitus Huonder turns 75, reaching the age limit at which bishops must offer the pope their resignation from office. Under Pope Francis, the signs are more for pacification – but still, instead of a new bishop, Catholics in the cantons of Graubunden, Schwyz and Zurich would rather have a bit of peace and quiet.

More co-determination of lay people

Swiss tick grassroots democracy. This is tradition since the legendary Rutli oath in the Middle Ages. So would Catholics – who are even less willing to submit to conservative bishops than those in other Western European democracies. Swiss state church law is characterized by Protestant elements and grants the laity more co-determination than the bishops would like – and than is provided for in general church law. This applies, for example, to the episcopal financial administration. And even in the church service there are all kinds of Protestant things, from lay preaching to women in liturgical vestments.

The diocese of Chur has a very troubled recent history. Like his predecessor Bishop Wolfgang Haas (1988/90-1997), who was in a line of difficult bishop appointments of John Paul II. Standing in the late 1980s, Huonder has polarized his flock, which includes rural cantons as well as the financially strong Catholics of the metropolis of Zurich. Dissatisfied even moved to the seat of the bishops' conference president in 2014 to demonstrate for Huonder's ouster.

Doctrine of Huonder as bone of contention

The displeasure is not ignited as elsewhere by an expensive building or by cases of sexual abuse. It is about the doctrine. Huonder, in office since 2007, insists on the letter of the Catholic, and he has never been shy about demanding it as binding. There have been many disputes: about abortion financing, the handling of homosexuality, marriage and family, or the management of the seminary.

The Swiss bishops put up with Huonder dictating the ies, the protesters complained, and, "We have had enough of disciplinarian attitudes, of hard-hearted theology and pessimistic bishops who distrust the faithful."Huonder's supporters have always argued that the bishop is acting in accordance with church doctrine and canon law.

Longer sedis vacancy desired

In an unusual step, two vicars general, Huonder's regional deputies, have now spoken out in favor of a kind of cease-fire: a transitional period of several years until a new bishop is elected. Martin Kopp, vicar general for Urschweiz, suggests six or seven years in which an administrator should lead the strife-ridden diocese. He sees a religious as the ideal appointment. And Kopp is even more explicit: "If next year someone is simply elected from the camp that currently determines the course in Chur, and there is no new beginning, the diocese is dead."The "freedom-thirsty" Urschweiz and also Zurich would "not put up with that".

His counterpart for Zurich, Josef Annen, considers this advance worthy of consideration. "What the diocese desperately needs after decades of disruption is pacification," he says. "A community that is polarized breaks up into irreconcilable camps that fight each other."This contradicts the mission of the Gospel.

Catholics ran strum against ex-Bishop Haas

The situation is reminiscent of the 90s. At that time, Catholics were up in arms against Bishop Haas. The now 68-year-old had been appointed directly by the Vatican – bypassing the rights of the diocese – and through ultra-conservative attitudes and personnel decisions had offended his church people, who were accustomed to co-determination. After years of conflict, John Paul II transferred. Haas in 1997 to the newly created archdiocese of Vaduz in the dwarf state of Liechtenstein.

Haas' successor in Chur, the Benedictine Amedee Grab (86), succeeded in letting grass grow over the discord. But Huonder now seems to be leaving scorched earth once again. Will Rome grant Chur's request for a cure – or start the regular appeal process?

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