Thursday, March 28, AD 2024 5:27am

PopeWatch: Burke Out

 

PopeWatch wonders if the Pope had this all planned out when he assigned Cardinal Burke to the Knights of Malta?:

 

 

ROME-Pope Francis has appointed a personal delegate to the Sovereign Order of Malta to serve as the sole liaison between the embattled order and the Vatican, virtually replacing American Cardinal Raymond Burke.

The man tapped for the job is Archbishop Angelo Becciu, the Vatican’s deputy Secretariat of State (known as the “substitute”). The decision was announced by the Vatican on Saturday, through a letter from Francis to Becciu.

As “sole spokesperson in all matters relating to relations” between the Vatican and the order, the pope writes, Becciu will have “all the necessary powers to decide any issues that may arise concerning the implementation of the mandate entrusted to you.”

Becciu’s assignment as papal delegate will last until a new Grand Master for the order is elected, which could take place in April after the group’s Sovereign Council is summoned, according to what was announced by the Knights of Malta in a recent press conference.

Technically, Burke is the papal envoy to the order. He assumed that role in November 2014, after leaving the post of head of the Vatican’s Supreme Court.

 

Becciu will in the meantime work closely with Ludwing Hoffmann von Rumerstein, currently the Lieutenant ad interim of the order, appointed last Saturday, after former Grand Master Matthew Festing presented his resignation at the pope’s request.

Festing’s resignation marked the end of a power struggle between the Order of Malta and the Vatican, which began with the dismissal of Albrecht Boeselager from his position as Grand Chancellor in early December. The month-long spat included Francis’s creating a committee to examine the order’s situation, which the now former Grand Master had declared “legally irrelevant.”

 

 

Go here to read the rest.

 

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Michael Paterson-Seymour
Michael Paterson-Seymour
Tuesday, February 7, AD 2017 3:47am

“Technically, Burke is the papal envoy to the order.”
No, he is Patron of the order, a position similar to that of Cardinal Protector, representing its interests to the Holy See.

Philip Nachazel
Philip Nachazel
Tuesday, February 7, AD 2017 4:58am

“A sign of peace, friendship and solidarity.” That was Pope Francis’ message to the world on Super Bowl Sunday; http://cathnews.com/cathnews

What is his message now?

Don L
Tuesday, February 7, AD 2017 7:38am

Well that leaves Burke with nothing of earthly value to lose–a position of extreme power.

ken
ken
Tuesday, February 7, AD 2017 7:40am

This move makes the pope look like a small, petty, vindictive person. Oh, well, nothing new.

David
David
Tuesday, February 7, AD 2017 11:08am

Maybe there’s a photo op in the works for the pope to be part of passing out condoms for “safe” sex.

Anzlyne
Anzlyne
Tuesday, February 7, AD 2017 2:32pm

“PopeWatch wonders if the Pope had this all planned …”

Me too

Will
Will
Tuesday, February 7, AD 2017 4:54pm

Sad that a commenter below still thinks this had anything to do with condoms. Both sides said it didn’t.

Francis said handle your problems quietly through dialogue. Festing and Burke chose confrontation. The idea that Francis could have foreseen this is foolish but as the lawyers say: in retrospect this was foreseeable.

If the end result is the Order of Malta addressing the dwindling number of professed members — now just 55 — that’s a very good thing. Hate to think what the average age of those 55 is.

And keep an eye on Becciu. Very much a man to watch.

Art Deco
Wednesday, February 8, AD 2017 10:54am

Francis said handle your problems quietly through dialogue. Festing and Burke chose confrontation.

The counsels of the passive-aggressive and manipulative man is something that promotes disgust in an ordinary man, not apologetics.

Dale Price
Dale Price
Wednesday, February 8, AD 2017 11:22am

“The counsels of the passive-aggressive and manipulative man is something that promotes disgust in an ordinary man, not apologetics.”

Bingo.

Plus, really, Will: the pontiff was so concerned about dialogue that he responds by initiating a conflagration?

That ain’t Shinola.

Foxfier
Admin
Wednesday, February 8, AD 2017 2:24pm

Francis said handle your problems quietly through dialogue.

Please explain where the dialog is involved, because as I recall this was the Pope demanding a resignation he is not technically in authority to demand it of, in apparent response to their group removing a person who was in charge when stuff in their area of authority was not properly done.
And yet your response is that the person who did as the Pope ordered is being confrontational?

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