Why is Rome making more of them when they should be sacking the lot? In all seriousness, I understand the interest in promoting Christianity in missionary territories—although I wonder if some of the South American appointments are a way of offsetting the prestige of the traditional cardinatial sees in Europe—but I fail to see how more cardinals is an answer. The college is largely a democratic bureaucracy. I wish for a return to the medieval model of the college, when very few episcopal sees were guaranteed red hats and the pope surrounded himself with people who were considered capable regardless of whether they were priests, deacons, monks, or bishops. What would be wrong with an abbot as a cardinal? Or some of the better parish priests of Rome? Or any professors of theology, liturgy, or canon law who happen to be only priests or deacons? Or, heaven forbid, bishops of dioceses who are simply good bishops? The red hat has become the end of the promotion change for ambitious clergy: priest—>monsignor—>Curial monsignor—>bishop of no see auxiliary bishop—>bishop—>archbishop—>cardinal—>head of Vatican congregation—>friend of Cardinal Kasper.
I say, fire most - if not all - of the U.S. and German cardinals.
ReplyDeleteThe only cardinal appointment I took any particular note of was the Metropolitan of the Ethiopian Catholic Church, Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel.
And fire all Spanish cardinals!
ReplyDeleteI would indeed go further: why not returning to the oldest practice, i. e. the cardinals being just the suffraganean bishops, and archpriests and archdeacons of the Roman basilicas? I really cannot understand how a, f. e., archbishop of Santiago, Milan or Reims being, at the same time, "deacon" of st. Clement in Rome. Of course, these bishops, priests and deacons must be the very best among the Roman clergy.
K. e.
Actually, an Italian Archbishop would make a degree of sense. The neighboring bishops probably want a say in who they need to work with (when we restore some traditional real synodality).
DeleteGiving Eastern Patriarchs a vote isn't a bad thing either, as long they are seen as non-candidates.
Why is Rome making more of them when they should be sacking the lot?
ReplyDeleteFor the same reason Pope Paul VI forced the retirement of those who survived until the age of 80 - perpetuation of the gains of the revolution.
Soon-to-be-canonised Paul got to can those troublesome traditional ancients and replace them with those brainwashed by modernism.
Our Pope and Our Cross is selecting his own men who will be expected to enter the next conclave with the intention of voting for a man who supports his personal political agenda.