Who Advises the Pope? -- The "Privy Council" of Pope Francis

(Vatican) Who advises the Pope? The question is the most talked about whenever the Pope is mentioned since last March. It has been busy because the pontificate raises many questions. The advisers of the Pope could contribute to the unraveling. The progressive Vaticanist Marco Tosatti has published his travel log on Vatican Insider his reading.

Impulsive Pope: Did Francis Interrupt Prefect Müller During Mass, Because He Immediately Wanted to Talk to Him?

The Vaticanist Tosatti was the one recently in the newspaper La Stampa who told of an ​​episode he received that apparently left even this die-hard progressive shivering, "always assuming that it is true," he added. The subjunctive is imperative because the message went through several corners and has found no confirmation from another source. Tosatti attended a Sunday Mass at the German National Church dell'Anima Santa Maria in Rome in the second half of September.  He then learned that Pope Francis is supposed to have called at the Congregation at the end of June to speak on the spot to the Prefect Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller. But he was then celebrating a Mass for German seminarians in a nearby chapel. The Pope had insisted that the Archbishop interrupt the celebration and talk to him. An official of the Congregation was rushed to the chapel and informed Müller about the dictates of the Pope. He had interrupted the celebration and went into the sacristy to take a phone call with the Pope. The major concerns of the Pope? He told me  of an investigation against a Cardinal underway at the CDF against an old friend of the Pope. The Pope ordered the Prefect of the Congregation of Doctrine and the Faith, Müller, to immediately discontinue the investigation and close the case immediately.

Should the incident have happened, then it would indeed be shocking. Tosatti released it despite his reservations.

Whoever Finds the Ear of Pope Francis?

According to Tosatti it is "certainly" Monsignor Fabian Fedacchio Leaniz who is among the "consultants" of the Pope. The prelate has been working at the Congregation for Bishops, but works unofficially, "without assignment" but "effectively" for the post of secretary of the Pope.

Regarded as friend and adviser from the first hour in the Conclave, the Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes is Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Clergy. Hummes quickly let it be known that he had been involved, according to his own intervention, and instrumental in the election of Pope Bergoglio. Accordingly, he went to the side of the new Pope at the central loggia on the facade of St. Peter's, as he was shown to the world for the first time.

Less obvious is the role of the former Primate of England, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor. The Cardinal was allowed, as he was born in 1932, to participate in the conclave.  His reservations about Benedict XVI. were known. With Pope Francis, the Briton is understood to be, however, excellent. The new Pope, says Tosatti "often" gets council from him. The same also does the Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain. Because he knows the good rapport of the Cardinal with the Pope, the Cardinal was an important contact person.

Then there's the Honduran Cardinal Oscar Maradiaga. The Salesian was appointed by Pope Francis to the C8 Cardinals Council and represents Central America. He could also be called to Rome and take over the management of a Congregation. Since 2007, the Cardinal has good German skills already as President of Caritas Internationalis. Maradiaga was, after his appointment to the newly created eight-member Cardinalsrat, the most enthusiastic and talkative, to perform a "fundamental reform" of the Roman Curia. A sign that the Honduran is among the eight cardinals (excluding the Chilean Cardinal Ossa) is closest to the thinking of the new pope. His word is to have great weight with Pope Francis, says Tosatti. This has to do not only with aspects of content, but also with the common language and common Latin American origin.

Therefore, Archbishop Emeritus of Santiago, Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa also fits in this category. The Cardinal from the neighboring country of Argentina was an elector in the March conclave. On the 5th of September he completed his 80th Year and retired from the circle of papal electors. But not from the circle of papal consultants.

A conspicuous number of non-friends of Benedict XVI.

The "Privy Council" of the Pope, as Tosatti has called the circle of men who have direct access to the Pope and whose word counts for him is also the Italian Giuseppe Cardinal Bertello, the President of the Governorate of Vatican City. Cardinal Bertello until 2007 was nuncio to Italy and San Marino. Actually, he had then hoped to be Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, but Benedict XVI. preferred the French-Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet. Also, when you post "Red Pope", the head of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples did not come to Bertello in train, but Cardinal Fernando Filoni. For Bertello remained under Benedict XVI. next to the dignity of Cardinal "only" in a ranking administrative task. Now he belongs to the group of advisers of Pope Francis.

This circle is "udite, udite" [Hush, hush] as Tosatti notes, also there is the Curial Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, who was sent packing with a loud noise as Apostolic Nuncio to the United States to Washington DC.. Viganò was not then a noted "friend" of Benedict XVI.. Another outspoken opponent of Pope Benedict has an ear: the former papal master of ceremonies, Curial Archbishop Piero Marini, whom Pope Benedict XVI. dismissed in 2007 from his function. Despite elevation to archbishop and one post of his choice, Piero Marini opted for the post of President of the International Eucharistic Congresses. Marini has never forgiven him the dismissal as master of ceremonies. And he also made ​​no secret, as when Francis was elected as Pope, Piero Marini rejoiced to be finally rid of Benedict XVI..

Do the Heads of the Liturgy Consultants Have the Handwriting of Piero Marini?

The liturgical sensibility and the desire of Benedict XVI. to reclaim the sacredness of worship, gave Piero Marini no pleasure. Something he has in common with Pope Francis. The liturgy was previously not an issue for the new Pope. At least not in his speeches. The situation is different in the decisions in the field of Liturgy, as recently, another Vatican expert, Sandro Magister pointed out. Piero Marini's handwriting wants many changes with the complete replacement of all consultants for the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Papal See. The liturgical renewal staff of Benedict XVI. was beheaded without exception.

To Pope Francis' circle of advisors, according to Tosatti, belong the Spaniard Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru. The Opus Dei Bishop, a professor at the Opus Dei University of the Holy Cross in Rome and Canon Lawyer, was appointed by the new Pope to the be the coordinator of the commission of inquiry into the Vatican bank IOR.

Enterprising Francesca Chaoqui in the circle of Papal Consultants? - Multiple Meetings with Pope

Astonishment is likely about who has already been allowed to sit "several times" at the table of the Pope in the Domus Santa Marta, one of whom "recently" means the enterprising Francesca Immacolata Chaoqui (see report Francesca Chaouqui: always on the go, lobbyist, Nuzzi-admirer, new Papal Commissioner ). Each time she was in the company of other people who wanted to be presented to the Pope. A privilege, which Pope Francis clearly guards, since at the Vatican his employees do not have access to the Pope, as only recently the weekly magazine Focus reported. A "distant" attitude toward his subordinates is summarized in one of the recent sensational interviews in an unflattering manner with "leprosy".

The appointment of lobbyist Francesca Chaouqui as the member of the new Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs of the Holy made for astonished head shaking (Chaouqui to see their own reports below). Sandro Magister wrote in vain against the appointment Chaouquis equally pointing to the problem, as against the equally controversial appointment of Monsignor Battista Ricca, director of Santa Marta, the special representative of the Pope in the Vatican Bank.

Those who believed that Pope Francis could withdraw a decision made, learned their lesson. This includes the fact that the new Pope, despite public doubts about the suitability of Chaouquis for her office with far-reaching emergency powers, met with the Italo-Moroccan "many times sociably",  says Tosatti.

And Then the Phone: "Some Journalists"

Finally, the Vatican expert mentions the phone that the Pope uses with "extreme impartiality". The "secret", who the Pope likes for advice, is greater here. "However, it seems that some journalists are among them, old friends of the former Cardinal," said Tosatti. The Vaticanist does not call him, but one of the "old friends” should,  the Argentine writer Jorge Milias (see report Jorge Milias 'regrets' that private telephone conversations with Francis Pope have been published ).

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
 Image: Vatican Insider
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMGD