Thursday, January 06, 2011

Growing influence of American-born Cardinal Burke

Cardinal Raymond Burke, former Archbishop of St. Louis and current prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the Church’s ‘supreme court,’ has been given even more responsibilities by Pope Benedict XVI.

According to the Vatican Information Service, the official news agency of the Holy See, Cardinal Burke, well known for his orthodox views, was named by the Holy Father on Dec. 29 as a member of three important congregations of the Roman Curia. 

They include the Congregation for Bishops, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, and the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts.

The addition of Cardinal Burke to the Congregation for Bishops could be significant for the Church’s future. The Congregation is the curial office responsible for assisting the pope in the selection of new bishops.

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments is responsible for overseeing the Church’s liturgical practices.

The Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts’ chief responsibility is interpretation of Church law.

When Archbishop Burke was designated a cardinal in October 2010, the Catholic News Agency described him as “widely known for emphasizing the importance of a distinctive Catholic identity and for advocating a bold Catholic witness in American public life. 

First as bishop of La Crosse, Wis., where he served from 1995-2003, and later as Archbishop of St. Louis, where he served from 2003-2008, he spoke out frequently about Catholic obligations on crucial moral issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage.”
“In both the 2004 and 2008 U.S. election campaigns, he stated that Catholic politicians who advocate legalized abortion should not present themselves for communion,” reported CNA. 

“He made headlines again recently in Rome for a stirring speech in which he called for the public ‘repentance’ of Catholic politicians who support political positions that are immoral and at odds with the Church.”

“‘It is not possible to be a practicing Catholic and conduct oneself publicly in this manner,’" he said in an Oct. 14 address to Human Life International,” continued the CNA report. 

“He decried ‘cafeteria Catholicism,’ or the bad habit of some to pick and choose which of the Church’s teachings to obey.”

SIC: SN/INT'L