For those of you who are ultra curious about Vatican dicasteries, offices, commissions, tribunals, etc, here’s the go-to web page: Vatican Internet Sites. I did not take the time to click on every site but I do know that many have not been updated in years. In any case, you might find this interesting.
POPE PRESIDES OVER THE FIRST MEETING OF THE NEW COUNCIL OF CARDINALS
This is the first meeting of the C9 after its recent renewal by Francis. He created the Council in 2013 to help him with the governance of the Universal Church, and with the reform of the Roman Curia.
By Vatican News
The Council of Cardinals met today in the Vatican in the presence of Pope Francis. This is the first meeting of the new C9 after the renewal of the body by the Pope on the 7th March.
The members of the new Council are Cardinals Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State; Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State; Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, Archbishop of Kinshasa; Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay; Seán Patrick O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston; Juan José Omella Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona; Gérald Lacroix, Archbishop of Québec; Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg; Sérgio da Rocha, Archbishop of San Salvador de Bahia. The Council’s Secretary is Archbishop Marco Mellino, titular bishop of Cresima.
The Council of Cardinals was established by Pope Francis with a Chirograph on 28th September 2013 and tasked with assisting him in the governance of the Universal Church, as well as the reform of the Roman Curia, the latter realized with the new Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium published on 19 March 2022.
The first meeting of the C9 took place on 1 October 2013. Its last meeting, in December last year, was dedicated in particular to the continental phase of the Synod on Synodality.
(JFL: The Vatican did not provide a photo of the meeting on any of its Vatican news language sites but here, for your edification, is information on the 9 members of the Council of Cardinals. Three are returning members: O’Malley, Oswald and Parolin)
PAROLIN Card. Pietro (vatican.va)
AMBONGO BESUNGU_Card. Fridolin, O.F.M. Cap. (vatican.va)
VÉRGEZ ALZAGA Card. Fernando, L.C. (vatican.va)
O’MALLEY Card. Seán Patrick, O.F.M. Cap. (vatican.va)
GRACIAS Card. Oswald (vatican.va)
OMELLA Card. Juan José (vatican.va)
LACROIX Card. Gérald Cyprien (vatican.va)
ROCHA Card. Sérgio da (vatican.va)
HOLLERICH Card. Jean-Claude, S.I. (vatican.va)
ARCHBISHOP PAGLIA CLARIFIES STANCE ON ASSISTED SUICIDE
Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia reiterates his opposition to “euthanasia” and assisted suicide and clarifies remarks about the legal status of the practice in Italy.
By Christopher Wells (vaticannews)
Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, has clarified earlier remarks concerning the legal status of medically assisted suicide in Italy, insisting that he fully adheres to the Church’s magisterially teaching opposing the practice.
“Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, in full conformity with the Church’s Magisterium, reaffirms his ‘No’ to euthanasia and assisted suicide.”
The clarification comes in response to “incorrect interpretations” of the Archbishop’s thoughts following a speech given by the PAV president last week in Perugia, Italy. In a speech devoted to the entire subject of end-of-life care, the Archbishop referenced the specific legal situation of assisted suicide in Italy.
Assisted suicide in Italy a crime
In 2019, Italy’s Constitutional Court ruled that in some cases and under certain conditions it is possible to request the indirect help of doctors to end one’s own life. Effectively, while assisted suicide remains a crime, it would no longer be penalized if specific conditions are met.
In his address last week, Archbishop Paglia explained that it is important that assisted suicide remain a crime in Italian law, which the Constitutional Court sentence recognizes. However, because the Court has asked Parliament to legislate concerning the issue, the Archbishop gave his opinion that a “legislative initiative” along the lines proposed by the Senate – maintaining medically-assisted suicide as a crime while de-penalizing it in certain circumstances – might be a possible solution to the legal question.
The statement from the PAV insists that any legal compromise would in no way involve a change in the moral stance towards assisted suicide.
No one left alone
The statement goes on to say that “any further elaboration is uncalled for,” stating, “On the scientific and cultural level, Archbishop Paglia has always supported the need for accompaniment of the sick in the final phase of life, using palliative care and loving personal attention, to ensure that no one is left to face alone the illness and suffering, and difficult decisions, that the end of life brings on.”