Will Card. Pell be the next Prefect of the Cong. for Bishops?

Cardinal PellThe intrepid Italian reporter Anrea Tornielli posted that His Eminence George Card. Pell of Sydney recently had an audience with Pope Benedict and that he is considered by some to be in "poll position" to become Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops. Card. Re will probably be stepping down soon.

Questa mattina Benedetto XVI ha ricevuto in udienza il cardinale George Pell, arcivescovo di Sidney. L’udienza era programmata alcuni giorni fa, ma il porporato australiano ha dovuto rimandarla per un piccolo problema di salute, prontamente risolto. E’ possibile che sia lui in pole position per prendere il posto del cardinale Giovanni Battista Re, nel delicato e cruciale ruolo di Prefetto della Congregazione dei vescovi, il dicastero che aiuta il Papa nella scelta dei nuovi pastori diocesani.

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16 Comments

  1. ray from mn says:

    Is there someone able to take his place as the leader of the Australian Church?

  2. ljc says:

    Lord let it be so! Also, Cardinal Hummes turned 75 back in August… I wonder if we will be hearing about a replacement for him sometime soon?

  3. Dennis Martin says:

    That would be the “pole position,” I believe, if we wish to keep our horse racing metaphors beyond reproach.

  4. JARay says:

    Indeed, “ray from mn”, Cardinal Pell would be a very hard act to follow and Australia certainly needs a man of his stature. Maybe Bp Anthony Fisher OP could fill his shoes.

  5. TNCath says:

    This would be an excellent appointment! Needless to say, even in Rome, Cardinal Pell would be able to exert his considerable influence on the Church in Australia via his appointments. Besides, the world is a lot smaller now. Cardinal Pell will be able to easily keep tabs on Australia.

  6. VEXILLA REGIS says:

    The appointment of Bishop Fisher O.P. in recent days as Bishop of Parramatta, would seem to suggest that Cardinal Pell is staying in Sydney. More likely H.E.would need to speak to the Holy Father about: details of the Canonisation of Bl. MMary Mackillop – who will be Australia’s first Saint, and the future evolution of the Australian Hierarchy – numerous appointments need consideration in the next twelve months or so and several have consequences for others e.g. new Archbishops for Perth and the troubled Brisbane, and if they are filled by the incumbents of Adelaide and Canberra-Goulburn respectively, those Sees will need to be filled. The whole situation is dealt with in the January issue of FOUNDATIOn a local monthly.In addition H.E. has the weighty matter of VOX CLARA’s concerns to deal with.In all the circumstances it is not surprising that he should be received by the Holy Father.

  7. JARay says:

    What you say VEXILLA REGIS makes a great deal of sense to me. As for the replacement of Archbishop Barry Hickey here in Perth, well, he already has an auxiliary Bishop in Donald Sproxton. Brisbane may be troubled but Perth is not in that category.

  8. JARay says:

    The thought also comes to mind, VEXILLA, that the very competent expert on the Liturgy, Bishop Peter Elliot could move in to some vacancy.

  9. Henry Edwards says:

    AUDIENCES

    VATICAN CITY, 1 FEB 2010 (VIS) – The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

    [snip]

    On Saturday 31 January he received in separate audiences:

    – Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, Australia.

    – Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, perfect of the Congregation for Bishops.

  10. TNCath says:

    Henry Edwards wrote: “On Saturday 31 January he received in separate audiences:

    – Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, Australia.

    – Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, perfect of the Congregation for Bishops.”

    I wonder if there was a subsequent “pow-wow” between Their Eminences at Roberto’s or Tre Pupazzi on Borgo Pio afterwards?

  11. Desertfalcon says:

    Yes, yes! Three cheers for Cardinal Pell!

  12. robtbrown says:

    Henry Edwards wrote: “On Saturday 31 January he received in separate audiences:

    – Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, Australia.

    – Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, perfect of the Congregation for Bishops.”

    I wonder if there was a subsequent “pow-wow” between Their Eminences at Roberto’s or Tre Pupazzi on Borgo Pio afterwards?
    Comment by TNCath

    Separate audiences. It seems to be the kind of gesture that is typical of the Vatican.

    The Pell nomination would be interesting:

    1. He is an Anglophone
    2. He has Roman educational experience–his licentiate in theology was done in Rome
    3. And most importantly, he spent 10 years as a member of the Congregation of Faith, who prefect was you-know-who.

  13. Mitchell NY says:

    A good appointment for Rome and surely a loss for Australia. Here in the States we do not hear much about Brisbane anymore. What became of the parish after Father’s removal? I think of those people sometimes.

  14. JARay says:

    The last I heard about Brisbane was that the renegade priest set up his own “church” in some meeting hall and the Archdiocese got its church back.

  15. TJerome says:

    JARay, that’s excellent news about Brisbane. Cardinal Pell would appear to be an excellent choice. I’ve heard him speak and he is a man of great learning and common sense. Tom

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