VATICAN CITY
Crux
By John L. Allen Jr.
Associate editor October 6, 2014
ROME — Theoretically, in a Synod of Bishops, all of the 200-plus prelates taking part from around the world are equal. Politically, however, some are clearly more equal than others, and this time around, few are more equal than Cardinal Péter Erdö of Hungary.
Erdö is serving as the relator for the Oct. 5-19 Synod of Bishops on the Family, a position that means he sets the table for the discussion at the beginning and then sums it up at the end. Being chosen can be a hint of bigger things to come, since each of the last three popes at earlier stages in their careers had served as a synod’s relator.
The relatio ante disceptationem, or “speech before the discussion” this morning, amounted to an effort by Erdö to define the terms of discussion, focused as much on what the synod won’t be talking about as what it will. He took “doctrinal issues” off the table, but opened the door to practical changes such as a streamlined system for granting annulments, meaning a declaration that a marriage was invalid.
In truth, in past synods the opening relatio often didn’t have much impact on the exchange that followed, but it is nevertheless closely read as a signal of what’s on the mind of one of the session’s prime movers.
The 62-year-old Hungarian prelate is known as a strong defender of Church teaching. Erdö had enough going for him back in early 2013 that some considered him a candidate for the papacy himself, leading to speculation about whether the successor to Benedict XVI might be history’s first “Goulash Pope.”
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.