Archbishop of New York Leading the Consistory

By Giacomo Galeazzi
Vatican City
February 18, 2012

http://www.vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/homepage/the-vatican/detail/articolo/concistoro-12790/

Timothy Dolan

"The Church is in need of deep conversion," warns the Archbishop of New York, Timothy Dolan. Significantly, the Pope has entrusted the introduction at the pre-consistory meeting to a bishop outside the ropes of the Curia. "Betrayal and falls: we must recognize our sins and purify ourselves," agrees the Minister of Divine Worship, Antonio Canizares Llovera. "Those who publish confidential texts are unfaithful to their mission," stigmatizes Joao Braz de Aviz, Head of Religious. "Vatileaks" (the secret papers on the IOR and the other intrigues, passed to the media) hangs on the Pope’s "Senate" gathered yesterday Pope behind closed doors. The "paper war" going on in the Curia has created tensions at the summit of the 133 cardinals convoked by Benedict XVI to address the most urgent problems of the Church.

The confidential letters of the ex-number two of the Governorate, Vigano (with allegations of corruption leveled against the Secretary of State), the confidential letter on the IOR and a memo on an alleged assassination attempt against the Pope are fueling the conflict of "shots fired by dossier" between the old management, closer to the Dean Sodano, and the current leadership, linked to Bertone. A strategy, including poison-pen letters, to pressure the Pope to change the 77-year-old Secretary of State. Benedict XVI expressed his hope that the Church would be spoken of for her faith and not for her scandals. But even the faith is passing through a phase of crisis, highlights the Minister of the New Evangelization, Rino Fisichella, while Dolan urges recognizing even in "places classified as materialistic (the mass media, entertainment, finance, art) an opening to the transcendent, the divine".

The Ratzingerian Canizares reaffirms the need in the Church for "purification, strengthening through a holy life: there are problems and setbacks, but we must not lose hope, but face them with skill." In the gloomy atmosphere created by the leakage of documents, the Archbishop Antonio Maria Veglio feels "a great sadness," though today he will be created Cardinal with 21 other bishops. Meanwhile Bertone praised the "joint action" between the Holy See and the Italian Episcopal Conference to promote the commitment of Catholics in Italian politics. And this "synergy" is also helping Italy to "get out of uncomfortable situations" created by the economic crisis: it is pushing the country "toward a future of greater solidarity." The Church's work in society "gives a lot to the Italian nation" and is an enrichment for the country. "There are reports that are not only formal, but substantial," he commented just a few hours after his "face to face" with Monti at the embassy.