Pope to name liberation theology ally to key Vatican post, report says

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Writing in the Italian daily La Stampa, veteran Vatican writer Marco Tosatti reported that Cardinal Cláudio Hummes, 72, of São Paulo, Brazil, will become the new prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, replacing Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, a 77-year-old Colombian.
If confirmed, the report would mean that Benedict has tapped a theological moderate and a man long identified as one of liberation theology’s friends in the Latin American hierarchy. Hummes is a close personal friend and longtime supporter of Brazil’s leftist president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The irony would not be lost on the Latin American church, where then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, while still Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was known as the author of a 1984 Vatican document highly critical of liberation theology – judged to be excessively politicized, and to shade off at times into Marxist-inspired terrorism.
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This seems a bit surprising, but I think reflects Benedict’s belief that even those with strong disagreements on particular issues can serve faithfully, and perhaps strengthen the papacy by keeping the pope informed about other viewpoints, although these other viewpoints may or may not affect Benedict’s decisions.
 
Perhaps a case of “keep your friends close, and your enemies closer…”
 
This is a development to watch. Many have jumped on the BXVI bandwagon assuming his orthodoxy and conservatism though with little solid evidence of it. Here, he seems near appointing a cardinal with known radical political views to a major role in developing and executing Church policy.

Beyond its basic responsibility for managing the clergy’s pastoral direction and development, the Congregation for the Clergy has far-reaching authority in catechism, and approval of the disposal of major Church properties.

This is not an inconsequential post, and if Hummes brings his radical politics to the Office, it could be a very big deal.
 
This is a development to watch. Many have jumped on the BXVI bandwagon assuming his orthodoxy and conservatism though with little solid evidence of it. Here, he seems near appointing a cardinal with known radical political views to a major role in developing and executing Church policy.

Beyond its basic responsibility for managing the clergy’s pastoral direction and development, the Congregation for the Clergy has far-reaching authority in catechism, and approval of the disposal of major Church properties.

This is not an inconsequential post, and if Hummes brings his radical politics to the Office, it could be a very big deal.
Have you ever consider that the Catholic Church is the one true faith? Accusing devout catholics of jumping on to the B16 band wagon? Laughable statement. Maybe B16 saw something in him other’s didn’t see. What you said is a bunch of dribble.
 
The popular pronouncements of BXVI’s conservatism are premature. Maybe he is. Maybe he isn’t. In five years we’ll know. Not yet. If he isn’t their dream conservative Pope, a lot of people will have painted themselves into an opposing corner.
 
How uncharitable! I’m crushed.:eek:

The popular pronouncements of BXVI’s conservatism are premature. Maybe he is. Maybe he isn’t. In five years we’ll know. Not yet. If he isn’t their dream conservative Pope, a lot of people will have painted themselves into an opposing corner.
You said, “if Hummes brings his radical politics to the Office, it could be a very big deal.” I got the impression you were saying that doctrines will be reversed. Which won’t happen. When you said, “Many have jumped on the BXVI bandwagon assuming his orthodoxy and conservatism though with little solid evidence of it.” This statement comes from those who haven’t even observed his papacy. What about his speech at Regensberg, or his denunciation of the culture of death? There’s plenty of evidence. One only needs to do a google search.
 
Maybe more talk about issues and less talk about what label each carries is the position he is taking. No one ever made a governance work by labeling people and forcing them into a defensive position; maybe some of these folks have some good thinknig to offer in a well-led Church? It doesn’t seem to me that anyone has all the answers…
 
Not a surprise. its sadly all politics. I once used to beleive it was not but after Benedict’s appointment of the strongly pro-homosexual bishop of SLC to SF it appears the church will continue to unravel in discipline and belief. I am on my way out or so its starting to seem. Something is just not right here. The Catholic church is where the Anglican church was 40 years ago - its going exactly the same way it would seem.
 
Not a surprise. its sadly all politics. I once used to beleive it was not but after Benedict’s appointment of the strongly pro-homosexual bishop of SLC to SF it appears the church will continue to unravel in discipline and belief. I am on my way out or so its starting to seem. Something is just not right here. The Catholic church is where the Anglican church was 40 years ago - its going exactly the same way it would seem.
Maybe Benedict saw something that we didn’t see. To question why Benedict would appoint him is like asking Jesus why He chose Judas.
 
How uncharitable! I’m crushed.:eek:

The popular pronouncements of BXVI’s conservatism are premature. Maybe he is. Maybe he isn’t. In five years we’ll know. Not yet. If he isn’t their dream conservative Pope, a lot of people will have painted themselves into an opposing corner.
Have you read any of his books? He’s quite an orthodox man. It’s not like he’s been hidden away from the public for decades.
 
Not a surprise. its sadly all politics. I once used to beleive it was not but after Benedict’s appointment of the strongly pro-homosexual bishop of SLC to SF it appears the church will continue to unravel in discipline and belief. I am on my way out or so its starting to seem. Something is just not right here. The Catholic church is where the Anglican church was 40 years ago - its going exactly the same way it would seem.
I was less than thrilled when Niederhauer was appointed to SF. That said, this supposedly “pro-homosexual” bishop just ran the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Bingo night out of one of the liberal, hot bed churches. How they got their in the first place is what’s got me wondering. I will say that the second we started writing letters, they were out of there with a response from the diocese saying that they should have never been there in the first place. He seems to have taken far more action than Bishop Levada ever did.
 
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