Third meeting for Council of Cardinals

Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., director of the Holy See Press Office, on Wednesday gave a briefing on the third meeting of Pope Francis and the Council of Cardinals (C8) which took place on Tuesday afternoon.

After commenting on the fact that each day the number of journalists present for the briefings increases, probably – he said – due to the fact that many foreign journalists are arriving in town to follow the Consistory over the weekend, Fr. Lombardi communicated that on Tuesday afternoon the Council continued its work based on the reports received by the Commission for Reference on the Organisation of the Economic-Administrative Structure of the Holy See (COSEA).*

Father Lombardi explained that, based on the results of those reports, the Cardinals formulated their proposals and presented them to the Holy Father.

He said the two sectors on which they have focussed regard the organization of Vatican institutions related to economic and financial affairs, and the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR), commonly known as the Vatican Bank – which Fr. Lombardi said – represents a much more specific and limited issue.

Father Lombardi pointed out that although the Cardinals have penned their proposals according to their own evaluations, the Pope himself will be the one to decide on how things proceed with eventual specifications and recommendations.

The Director of the Press Office also revealed that this afternoon a meeting of the Council of Fifteen - the 15 Councils who have already arrived in the Vatican in view of the upcoming Consistory- will take place in the Apostolic Palace’s “Sala Bologna”.

He said that they too will be briefed by the two Commissions who presented their reports to the Council of Eight.

Vatican Radio

Source: news.va (Feb. 19, 2014)