By Michael M. Canaris
Last week, Pope Francis made an unexpected, but not unprecedented, decision regarding Vatican personnel. Pope Emeritus Benedict was particularly close to 68-year old Spanish Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera, so much so that the latter’s nickname in Rome was El Ratzingerino (the “little” Ratzinger). Now, apparently at his request to return to the pastoral life, Canizares has been transferred from the Congregation for Divine Worship, not to Spain’s most prominent diocese, in Madrid, but rather to Valencia. Madrid did receive a new bishop, but it was Carlos Osoro Sierra, not Canizares.
When Francis became pope, Canizares was the lone head of a Roman congregation who was not reconfirmed indefinitely in his present office. Curial reform was reportedly a driving force in the cardinals’ selection of Bergoglio in the last conclave, and while it is important to note that Canizares has never been accused of any impropriety in any instance, this may be a step toward reconfiguring the curia more in terms of Francis’ preferences and priorities. It’s a delicate task, especially with figures that were so prominent in their relationship with the last pontiff.
Canizares shared Benedict’s love for more traditional liturgy, and was renowned for his rather elaborate vestments and sartorial choices. He is an ardent defender of the “hermeneutic of continuity” in interpreting Vatican II, has made a number of public comments about his preference for receiving Communion on the tongue, and was responsible for a July letter in which the Vatican made clear its preference for limiting the movement of the faithful from their places or the priest from the altar during the exchange of peace at Mass. Unusually, as of this writing, Francis has not named a successor for the CDW.
Pope Benedict made a parallel decision in moving Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe from the helm of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, better known by its former title of the Office of Propaganda Fide, to the Archdiocese of Naples. But in the modern church, it is rare for the head of a curial congregation to be moved to head a diocese outside of Rome while still in active ministry.
It is more complicated than simply reading the move as a demotion, but it is undeniable that Francis continues to put his distinctive stamp on the church of Rome, and in so doing, has ruffled some ecclesial feathers. Vatican-watchers are particularly focused on what will unfold in the fall’s synod on the family. Just this week, Francis’ hand-picked head of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Nunzio Galantino, said that the Catholic Church should make “unconventional couples” feel welcome and that they should not be “looked upon with prejudice.” The comment obviously raised eyebrows. Pastoral responses to homosexual, cohabitating, and divorced and remarried couples will undoubtedly be discussed during the synod. It remains to be seen what role and responsibilities Francis will delegate to the synod regarding church doctrine and policy on these and other issues moving forward.
Collingswood native Michael M. Canaris, Ph.D., Pontifical University of St. Thomas (Angelicum), Rome.
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