L.A. cardinal says pope might reform process for Synod of Bishops
Apr 24, 2005
Los Angeles Cardinal Roger M. Mahony said he would be surprised if Pope Benedict XVI did not reform the church's process for the Synod of Bishops.
VATICAN CITY (CNS, Apr-22-2005) -- Cardinal Mahony said that the way the pope, who was dean of the College of Cardinals, ran cardinals' meetings before the conclave indicates he knows and understands how to get a real, representative exchange going.
"He certainly has heard enough over the years about the format and process of the synod," Cardinal Mahony told Catholic News Service April 22. "It needs to be rethought, and there needs to be a way for far more interaction."
Many cardinals and bishops have said that the current format of the Synod of Bishops -- every participant speaking for eight minutes on any subject, without the interventions being thematically organized and without time for questions or discussion in the synod hall -- dilutes the impact of the discussion.
When the world's cardinals met after Pope John Paul II's funeral and started talking about the pastoral challenges the church faces, Cardinal Mahony said most of the initial speakers were from Europe or North America.
The future pope paused the discussion and asked for cardinals from southern Africa, English-speaking Africa, French-speaking Africa and different areas of Asia to prepare presentations on the pastoral challenges they face.
"I thought that was extremely helpful," Cardinal Mahony said, "and that gave me an insight into what he is looking at for synods."
The future pope went out of his way to ensure a geographical mix "because that was not the way it was going," he said. "He wanted to make sure the whole church was being heard across the board, and he did it very well."
South African Cardinal Wilfrid F. Napier of Durban also told CNS he expected Pope Benedict to be open to the idea of more regional gatherings of bishops, particularly in response to the cardinals' request for more concrete signs of collegiality and the responsibility the pope and bishops share.
Cardinal Mahony said he did not think that at 78 years old Pope Benedict would travel as much as Pope John Paul did in the early years of his pontificate.
"I think he will choose, prioritize strategically where he will go so that he has the greatest impact," the cardinal said. "I think there is a lot he wants to do here (in Europe), too, and there is a lot to be done."
However, the cardinal said he is absolutely certain Pope Benedict's will not be a Eurocentric papacy.
"He is very interested in the Southern Hemisphere. I would not be surprised to see a new round of the synod assemblies of continents because he is very anxious to help especially the southern part of the world -- Africa, Asia, Latin America," he said.
Cardinal Mahony also said the cardinals gathered inside the Sistine Chapel during the conclave were treated to wafts of smoke every time the door to the stove was opened to add more ballots.
Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna told an Italian newspaper, "It's a good thing there were no art historians inside" to see the smoke drift up to Michelangelo's recently cleaned frescoes.
Cardinal Mahony said there really was not that much smoke, but added that he thinks the Vatican should have tested the system for burning the ballots and smoke cartridges before the April 18-19 conclave began.
"The bigger problem with the smoke was that there were two stoves, and the cartridges with the color -- black or white -- need longer to light than the ballots do. So next time they have to make sure they get the one with the color going first, so that when people see the smoke, the first wisp is black or white, then they can start adding the ballots," he said.
"To be honest with you, I do not think they practiced this. They should have practiced this," the cardinal said.
L.A. cardinal says pope might reform process for Synod of Bishops