Pope Francis is set to strip one of his leading American critics, Cardinal Raymond Burke, of his Vatican privileges.
According to an Associated Press cable based on interviews with two anonymous sources, the pope discussed planned actions against the American cardinal during a meeting of the heads of Vatican offices on November 20.
Francis reportedly said Cardinal Burke was a source of “divisiveness” in the Church and that he was abusing privileges granted to retired cardinals. The Italian Catholic news blog “La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana” first reported the ongoing actions against Burke on November 27.
Cardinal an enemy of the Pope?
The author of the note on plans to punish the American hierarch, which appeared on the blog, wrote that the Pope described Cardinal Burke as his “enemy” and for this reason would deprive him of his apartment and salary. These words were to be spoken at the aforementioned meeting, which took place on November 20.
The AP reported that Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni referred reporters to Cardinal Burke to answer questions. “I have nothing specific to say about it,” Bruni told reporters.
Raymond Burke was ordained a priest by Pope Paul VI in Rome in 1975 and served as Bishop of La Crosse, Wisconsin, from 1995 to 2004 and as Archbishop of St. Louis from 2004 to 2008. Widely regarded as an expert on canon law, Burke was appointed Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura (the highest judicial authority in the Church) by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008. Two years later, Benedict appointed him cardinal.
Pope Francis removed him as prefect in 2014 and instead appointed him cardinal patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. This function is mainly ceremonial.
Cardinal Burke is a sharp critic of some of Pope Francis’ initiatives. He was one of five cardinals who sent a dubie to Pope Francis asking for clarification on the Church’s position on the blessings of homosexual relationships, the synod’s authority on synodality, the ordination of women and absolution for remarried people .
Source: Do Rzeczy
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
