Cardinal Robert Sarah -- Assigned by the Pope and Isolated at The Same Time

Cardinal Robert Sarah, Appointed by the Pope
\and isolated at the same time

(Rome) On October 28, the Vatican announced the appointment of 27 new members of the Roman Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.It's an intervention that shifts the internal equilibria, and that is exactly what is intended. It was not said who which members were confirmed previously by the pope, including known names from the pontificate of Benedict XVI. Now there is clarity.

It is thanks to the Vaticanist Sandro Magister, who has made the effort to understand the extent of "renewal".The circle of the newcomers does not show a uniform manuscript, but points in a particular direction.

The newly apppointed

Francis' new members are:

• Rainer Maria Woelki, Archbishop of Cologne
• John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Abuja (Nigeria)
• Pietro Parolin, Cardinal Secretary
• Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, Archbishop of Québec (Canada)
• Philippe Nakellentuba Ouédraogo, Archbishop of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)
• John Atcherley Dew, Archbishop of Wellington (New Zealand)
• Ricardo Blázquez Pérez, Archbishop of Valladolid (Spain)
• Arlindo Gomes Furtado, Archbishop of Santiago de Cabo Verde (Cape Verde Islands)
• Gianfranco Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture
• Beniamino Stella, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy
• Dominic Jala, Archbishop of Shillong (India)
• Domenico Sorrentino, Archbishop of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino (Italy)
• Denis James Hart, Archbishop of Melbourne (Australia)
• Piero Marini, Archbishop and President of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses
• Bernard Nicolas Aubertin, Archbishop of Tours (France)
• Romulo G. Valles, Archbishop of Davao (Philippines)
• Lorenzo Voltolini Esti, Archbishop of Portoviejo (Ecuador)
• Arthur Joseph Serratelli, Bishop of Paterson (USA)
• Alan Stephen Hopes, Bishop of East Anglia (Great Britain)
• Claudio Maniago, Bishop of Castellaneta (Italy)
• Bernt Ivar Eidsvig, Bishop of Oslo (Norway)
• Miguel Ángel D'Annibale, Bishop of Rio Gallegos (Argentina)
• José Manuel Garcia Cordeiro, Bishop of Bragança Miranda (Portugal)
• Charles Morerod, Bishop of Lausanne, Geneva and Friborg (Switzerland)
• Jean Pierre Kwambamba Masi, Auxiliary Bishop of Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
• Benny Mario Travas, Bishop of Multan (Pakistan)
• John Bosco Chang Shin Ho, Auxiliary Bishop of Daegu (Korea).

The non-confirmed

The Vaticanist Sandro Magister researched the names of former members who were not confirmed by Francis:

• Norberto Cardinal Rivera, Archbishop of Mexico City
• Zenon Grochowevsky, em. Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education
• Angelo Cardinal Scola, Archbishop of Milan
• Geoge Cardinal Pell, Prefect of the economic secretariat
• Marc Cardinal Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for the Bishops
• Oswald Cardinal Gracias, Archbishop of Mumbai
• Angelo Cardinal Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes and Saints
• Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, Patron of the Sovereign Order of Malta
• Mauro Cardinal Piacenza, Grand Penitentiary
• Mario Oliveri, Emeritus Bishop of Albenga-Imperia

Almost all of them are known Ratzingerians, or were in conflict with Pope Francis. Usually both are true. The Cardinals Piacenza and Burke were dismissed in 2013 and 2014 as heads of dicastries. In replacing the head of the dicastry by Cardinal Grocholewski,, Bergoglio appointed his former ghostwriter in 2011, Victor Manuel Fernandez, who was rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina. Sparks flew between Cardinal Rivera, Primate of Mexico, and the pope in Mexico during the Pope's visit and even now with the appearance of the new apostolic nuncio in the conflict over the legalization of "gay marriage". Sawing the legs of the chair of Cardinal Pell in papal circles has been going on for quite some time . The Cardinals Scola, Ouellet and Amato seem to be already scheduled for the replacement. Pope Francis did not confirm the Emeritus Bishop Mario Oliveri of Albenga-Imperia, as expected.

Only two, Archbishop Michel-Marie-Bernard Calvet of Nouméa in New Caledonia and Bishop Julián López Martín of León were confirmed among the Archbishops and Bishops, who were previously members of the Congregation, but nine were not.

Archbishop Piero Marini and Cardinal Stella as "Watchers"

In the Vatican, it is denied that the reformation of the Congregation had taken place to "discipline" its Prefect, Cardinal Robert Sarah. The talk is of "necessary adjustments". The reality looks different. "Cardinal Prefects Sarah has not been given," said the Vaticanist, Sandro Magister, "the supporters of the reform he had hoped for." What was meant actually is the reform of the post-Conciliar liturgical reform of 1969/1970.

The new appointment of the Congregation was by no means accidental, after Cardinal Sarah had come out with the public demand for a "reform of the liturgical form". Before the summer break, he asked all the priests worldwide to go back to celebrating Mass facing the East, and cited the coming First Advent Sunday as a suitable deadline to implement this change. The Vatican denied changes to the liturgy, but the Cardinal insisted. Among other "unfriendliness" was the reorganization of the Congregation at the end of October.

Albert Cardinal Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo (Sri Lanka), who was himself secretary of the Congregation for several years, is among the "survivors" on the side of Cardinal Sarah. The friend of the traditional rite has a solid liturgical education. He speaks fluent English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and also speaks the ancient Greek and Latin languages. The Cardinal seems to have impressed Pope Francis during his visit to Sri Lanka in January 2015.

More important, however, are the "watchers" placed aside the cardinal. This obviously applies to Beniamino Stella, who is not a liturgist, but a close confidant of the Pope. The same is true for the Bugnini student, Piero Marini, who is, however, a proven expert. The co-architect of the post-conciliar liturgical form is regarded as a decisive opponent of a recovery of the traditional form of the Roman rite. 

The Confirmed

The names of all the cardinals and bishops who were confirmed as members:

• Peter Cardinal Erdö, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest
• Juan Luis Cardinal Cipriani Thorne, Archbishop of Lima
• Jean-Pierre Cardinal Ricard, Archbishop of Bordeaux
• Angelo Cardinal Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa
• Kazimierz Cardinal Nycz, Archbishop of Warsaw
• Albert Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo
• Dominique Cardinal Mamberti, prefect of the apostolic signature
• Michel-Marie-Bernard Calvet, Archbishop of Nouméa (New Caledonia)
• Julián López Martín, Bishop of León (Spain)

The General Assembly of the Congregation, together with Cardinal Prefect Robert Sarah and Secretary Archbishop Arthur Roche, now has a total of 38 members, eight more than before. More than 70 percent were newly appointed.

The first phase of the reconstruction of the Congregation had already taken place in the summer and autumn of 2014 when Pope Francis returned the then Prefect of the Congregation, the "Little Ratzinger" Antonio Cardinal Cañizares as Archbishop of Valencia to Spain, for construction in the Dicasterium. All advocates of a "reform of reform" were replaced by liturgists of the cut of a Piero Marini. When Cardinal Sarah was appointed as new Prefect on 24 November 2014 and took office soon afterwards, he was already isolated from the Congregation of Worship. In the words of Magister,

"Cardinal Sarah is condemned to lead offices that work against him."

This should also explain his change of strategy, to be heard in other ways, especially through his books. In recent his book "La Force du silence " (The Power of Silence), which was published on 6 October in France, he reaffirms in the face of Vatican denials whether by announcement, desire or prophecy that the "reform of the reform" would take place.

Pope Francis and his circle seem to have understood the words as a threat. Three weeks later, phase two was carried out in the reorganization of the Congregation.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Sacra Liturgia (Screenshot)
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
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