Latest news with #MarioGrech
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cardinal says he's relieved not to have been elected Pope
A Catholic cardinal who was considered a leading candidate to be elected Pope has expressed relief that he was not chosen, saying anyone who actively wants the job is either 'a martyr or crazy'. Mario Grech, from Malta, was one of a dozen or so cardinals that Vatican experts saw as a 'papabile' – literally 'Pope-able' cardinal – following the death of Pope Francis. But he insisted he had no desire for the job and was deeply relieved to be able to leave Rome 'a free man' after the conclave, the secret election inside the Sistine Chapel that resulted in the nomination of Robert Prevost as Leo XIV, the first Pope from North America. 'Someone told me before the conclave: in order to want it [the papacy], you must either be a martyr – and I don't feel I'm one – or crazy,' Cardinal Grech said. He said he had urged his brother cardinals not to push him forward as a candidate, telling The Times of Malta: 'Several people would tell me they're praying for me, and I would say, 'Continue praying, but according to my intention, not yours'.' Asked whether he was relieved not to have been elected by the 133 cardinals, he said: 'Yes, definitely. On Thursday evening, I returned home a free man. 'I only realised after the conclave why the new Pope takes a new name – because his old life is not his any more. He is not his own man any more. He cannot even go out for a coffee or for a short walk. And those are just the little things.' Cardinal Grech, 68, comes from the island of Gozo to the north of the main island of Malta. He was appointed a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2020. He said it was wrong to think that every cardinal had a desire to become Pope, adding that the same reluctance to assume high office permeated throughout the Catholic hierarchy. Around a quarter of priests who are chosen by the Pope to become bishops are turning down the promotion, and Cardinal Grech said: 'They don't want it, because the burdens of authority in the Church are truly immense.' He said that as a member of the Synod of bishops, he saw the problem first hand, adding: 'When a bishopric becomes vacant anywhere around the world, we receive dossiers from the local nuncio detailing three nominees. We review these files, rank the candidates by preference, and submit them to the Pope for his final selection. 'Yet, it's increasingly common for the chosen candidate to decline – roughly 25 per cent refuse the appointment. One in every four priests chosen by the Pope to be bishops are refusing.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Herald Malaysia
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Herald Malaysia
Cardinal Grech urges religious men to be ‘engines of hope' for synodal Church
Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, urges religious men to draw inspiration from the Church's desire for synodality, as he meets with members of the Union of Superiors General. May 24, 2025 Cardinal Mario Grech speaks to the USG Assembly in Sacrofano on May 23, 2025 By Devin Watkins'Pope Leo XIV encourages us to advance on the path of synodality, making fruitful the many seeds planted in the soil of the Church during the 2021–2024 Synodal process.' Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, offered that invitation to members of the Union of Superiors General (USG) on Friday during their Assembly. The heads of male religious orders held their 103rd General Assembly in Sacrofano, near Rome, on May 21-23. In his address, Cardinal Grech reflected on the theme 'Consecrated Life: Engine of Hope in a Synodal Church,' recalling Pope Francis' call for the Church to listen well. Pope Leo XIV, he noted, has already spoken frequently of synodality, most notably in his address on the evening of his election to the papacy: 'We want to be a synodal Church, a Church that moves forward.' Cardinal Grech said the Church has concluded the 'celebratory' phase of the Synod on Synodality with its Final Document, noting that the most important phase is its 'reception' by the people of God. 'The protagonist of reception is the Holy Spirit, who acts in the depths of the people of God and gradually leads them along the path of reform, of which He Himself is the divine engine,' he said. The Cardinal went on to highlight the role of consecrated life in the Church as a form of prophecy, one which assists in the inculturation of the Gospel in local cultures and societies. He pointed out that the Synod on Synodality's first phase involved in-depth consultation with various realities of local Churches, in the hope of giving Catholics a chance to walk together. Consecrated life, he added, have long employed the principle of synodal listening and communal discernment for their shared life and mission. Cardinal Grech said religious orders also carry out a 'prophetic exercise of authority,' with many religious expressing their appreciation at the Synod for a transparent and accountable form of leadership. However, he noted, religious authority has sometimes degraded into abuse of conscience and personal freedom, resulting in deplorable cases of sexual abuse. Confronting patterns of abuse require both sanctions and, more importantly, a change of 'mentality, style, and ecclesial culture,' said the Cardinal. Cardinal Grech then highlighted Pope Leo XIV's focus on the Church's missionary zeal. Mission, he said, stands as the external expression of the synodal drive to involve everyone at all stages through 'participation and communion.' 'In this new stage of the Church's journey,' concluded Cardinal Grech, 'you consecrated men and women, belonging to ancient and modern Institutes, must feel entrusted with the task of being the vanguard of the Church's missionary renewal.'--Vatican News
Irish Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Meet the ‘Papabiles': The six men who could become the next pope
'He who enters a conclave as pope emerges as a cardinal' goes the saying, so picking the likely winner of the papal election following the death of Pope Francis is fraught with difficulty. In the conclave taking place in the Vatican, the following are considered papal candidates or 'papabile' – translated from the Italian 'pope-able': Cardinal Mario Grech, from Malta Cardinal Mario Grech talks to reporters during a press conference in 2023. Photograph: AP From the tiny island of Gozo off Malta, Cardinal Grech (68), the former Bishop of Gozo, has displayed a similar mindset to Francis in his addresses to Synods of Bishops in Rome. In a December 2018 interview, he said: ''Black' and 'white' still exist; but the grey area in-between has grown. It is in the grey areas that we must search. That's why I said that I am wary of those priests, or Christians, who feel they already know all the answers. No one can make that claim. We all have to continue searching.' He has been central, as secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, to the ongoing synodal process initiated by Pope Francis. He is also familiar with the Vatican, having served on the Roman Rota, and he had been a bishop in Malta for more than 18 years. Coming from a small country is an advantage too, not least where geopolitics is concerned. Francis made him a cardinal in 2020. READ MORE Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, from The Philippines Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle attends a mass at St Peter's basilica in The Vatican, on April 30. Photograph: Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Cardinal Tagle (66) is the former archbishop of Manila in Asia's most populous Catholic country and from a continent where Catholicism is growing fast. He has had extensive experience at the Vatican as prefect of its Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples. His mother was Chinese and he studied for seven years in the US and is close to the thinking of Pope Francis on most matters. Ordained in 1982, he became a bishop in 2001 and went on to serve as the Archbishop of Manila from 2011 to 2020. He was appointed Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012, the seventh Filipino to be named a cardinal. [ Pope Francis obituary: Outsider who attempted to return the church to the people and away from clericalism ] Cardinal Tagle has also been to Ireland twice. In 2012 he spoke at the 50th International Eucharistic Congress, in Dublin, and again at the World Meeting of Families in 2018 where 'Chito', as he is called, proved something of a charmer. He was also believed to be in the running at the 2013 conclave but was considered too young then. Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, from Italy Italian cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi attends the Seventh Novemdiale mass at St Peter's basilica, following the funeral of Pope Francis. Photo: Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Cardinal Zuppi (69), Archbishop of Bologna and president of the Italian Bishops' Conference, might have a strong chance if the conclave thinks it is time for another Italian pope following a Polish pontiff, a German one and an Argentinian pope A man very much in the Francis mould, he said last year that faith in God was not always necessary, as there are notable examples of altruism even among those who lack it. Loving one's neighbour was what mattered, he said. In 2023 Pope Francis appointed him to lead the Vatican diplomatic mission to ease tensions in the Ukraine conflict and promote gestures of humanity which might lay foundations for a just peace. He visited Kyiv, Moscow, Washington and Beijing. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, from Italy Cardinal Secretary of State of Vatican City Pietro Parolin celebrates the mass next to the statue of Our Lady of Fatima ahead of the candlelight procession at the Shrine of Fatima, central Portugal, in 2023. Photograph: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty. Another Italian contender is Cardinal Parolin (70), from Schiavon in northern Italy, who has been the Vatican secretary of state since October 2013, almost for the entirety of Francis's papacy. Cardinal Parolin met US vice-president JD Vance at the Vatican last Saturday . Cardinal Kevin Farrell, originally from Ireland Cardinal Kevin Farrell was born in Dublin in 1947 Photograph: Paolo Santalucia/AP Irish eyes will be on Cardinal Farrell (77), originally from Drimnagh, Dublin, and present Camerlengo at the Vatican overseeing its affairs until a new pope is elected. He entered the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ in 1966 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1978. He served as chaplain of the Legion of Christ's apostolic movement Regnum Christi at the University of Monterrey in Mexico and later denied having prior knowledge of sexual abuse by Legion of Christ's founder Marcial Maciel. [ Who will be the next pope after Francis and how does the process work? ] He left the Legionaries and, in 1984, became a priest in the Archdiocese of Washington, becoming auxiliary bishop and chief adviser to the late Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was later stripped of his ministry following multiple allegations of child sex abuse. Cardinal Farrell denied all knowledge of McCarrick's abuses. Most of his clerical life has been spent in the US, where he was Bishop of Dallas. In 2016 Pope Francis appointed him as prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life. It was in that role he visited Ireland with Francis in 2018. He was appointed Camerlengo by Francis the following year, putting him in a pivotal role in the run-up to this conclave. Cardinal Peter Turkson, from Ghana Cardinal Peter Turkson. File photograph: Alessandro Bianchi/Reuters The leading African papabile is Cardinal Turkson (75) from Ghana. The first cardinal from the African country, he has extensive Vatican experience and a reputation for being strong on interreligious dialogue, no doubt helped by his own background. His mother was Methodist, while a paternal uncle was Muslim. But his age and the conservative nature of the African church may not help him. It is believed unlikely an African pope will emerge from this conclave. This is due mainly to the refusal of the Catholic bishops of Africa and Madagascar in a 2024 statement in response to Pope Francis's declaration in 2023 allowing priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples. The African bishops, instead, asserted that such unions were 'contrary to the will of God'.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Francis still requires therapy, Vatican says, as pope looks ahead to 2028
Pope Francis is improving but still requires various in-hospital therapies, the Vatican said Saturday, even as it revealed the 88-year-old pontiff had laid plans to extend his years-long Synod process into 2028. The Argentine pope on Friday marked one month in Rome's Gemelli hospital, where doctors for days have said his condition is stable and slowly improving after a critical period marked by breathing crises that risked his life. But on Saturday, the Vatican cut short any speculation he could be released imminently, cautioning that, despite the progress, he still required therapies to be administered within a hospital environment. "The clinical conditions of the Holy Father have remained stable, confirming the progress shown in the last week," the Vatican said in an evening bulletin on his health. "The Holy Father still requires hospital medical therapy, motor and respiratory physiotherapy; these therapies, at present, are showing further, gradual improvements," it added. The Vatican has given no indication as to when Francis could be released from the hospital's special papal suite on the 10th floor. But in a sign that Francis continues to work to cement his legacy for reform of the Church, the Vatican also said Saturday he had approved from his hospital bed a new plan related to the Synod, a years-long global consultation that he has shepherded since 2021. The Synod, which focused on pressing issues affecting the future of the Catholic Church, ended in October, with the pope yet to reveal whether he will incorporate its findings into a papal document known as an apostolic exhortation. The extension announced Saturday calls for a three-year consultation and evaluation period leading up to a new post-Synod assembly in 2028. "On 11 March, the Holy Father definitively approved the start of a process of accompaniment and evaluation of the implementation phase by the General Secretariat of the Synod," the Vatican said. The Synod was the first time the Vatican waded into so many contentious, contemporary social issues so openly, from LGBTQ Catholics to whether women should be ordained as deacons. The Vatican said the three-year consultation period would involve dioceses and episcopal conferences, as well as lay associations and other parties -- including women -- who have contributed to the Synod process until now. "It is of fundamental importance to ensure that the implementation phase serves as an opportunity to re-engage the people who have contributed and to present the fruits gathered from listening to all the Churches," said the Vatican. Maltese Cardinal Mario Grech announced the start of the implementation phase in a letter sent Saturday to bishops around the world. - Heavier mail bags - Meanwhile, even as he improves, the pope is still receiving "thousands" of get-well letters a day from around the world, Italy's postal service said. Well-wishers have been flooding the city's postal service with letters "from the time of his hospitalisation until today," the postal service said in a statement. The "surge" in correspondence was being felt at the Fiumicino postal sorting centre, with "up to 150 kilograms more mail per day," said the unit's head, Antonello Chidichimo. In a bit of self-promotion, the postal service said it was playing a "fundamental role in ensuring that every message of support and prayer reaches its destination". On the anniversary of Francis's 12 years as pope Friday, his favourite football team -- Buenos Aires' San Lorenzo -- posted a video message of support, with other messages arriving from Brazilian footballer Neymar and Italy's former player Ciro Ferrara. The Argentine pontiff has previously thanked well-wishers for their letters and prayers, noting their "affection and closeness". In February, ten days after Francis was hospitalised, the Vatican published a message written by him in which he cited the "many messages of affection". "I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children," wrote Francis. ams/gv
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Francis still requires therapy, Vatican says, as pope looks ahead to 2028
Pope Francis is improving but still requires various in-hospital therapies, the Vatican said Saturday, even as it revealed the 88-year-old pontiff had laid plans to extend his years-long Synod process into 2028. The Argentine pope on Friday marked one month in Rome's Gemelli hospital, where doctors for days have said his condition is stable and slowly improving after a critical period marked by breathing crises that risked his life. But on Saturday, the Vatican cut short any speculation he could be released imminently, cautioning that, despite the progress, he still required therapies to be administered within a hospital environment. "The clinical conditions of the Holy Father have remained stable, confirming the progress shown in the last week," the Vatican said in an evening bulletin on his health. "The Holy Father still requires hospital medical therapy, motor and respiratory physiotherapy; these therapies, at present, are showing further, gradual improvements," it added. The Vatican has given no indication as to when Francis could be released from the hospital's special papal suite on the 10th floor. But in a sign that Francis continues to work to cement his legacy for reform of the Church, the Vatican also said Saturday he had approved from his hospital bed a new plan related to the Synod, a years-long global consultation that he has shepherded since 2021. The Synod, which focused on pressing issues affecting the future of the Catholic Church, ended in October, with the pope yet to reveal whether he will incorporate its findings into a papal document known as an apostolic exhortation. The extension announced Saturday calls for a three-year consultation and evaluation period leading up to a new post-Synod assembly in 2028. "On 11 March, the Holy Father definitively approved the start of a process of accompaniment and evaluation of the implementation phase by the General Secretariat of the Synod," the Vatican said. The Synod was the first time the Vatican waded into so many contentious, contemporary social issues so openly, from LGBTQ Catholics to whether women should be ordained as deacons. The Vatican said the three-year consultation period would involve dioceses and episcopal conferences, as well as lay associations and other parties -- including women -- who have contributed to the Synod process until now. "It is of fundamental importance to ensure that the implementation phase serves as an opportunity to re-engage the people who have contributed and to present the fruits gathered from listening to all the Churches," said the Vatican. Maltese Cardinal Mario Grech announced the start of the implementation phase in a letter sent Saturday to bishops around the world. - Heavier mail bags - Meanwhile, even as he improves, the pope is still receiving "thousands" of get-well letters a day from around the world, Italy's postal service said. Well-wishers have been flooding the city's postal service with letters "from the time of his hospitalisation until today," the postal service said in a statement. The "surge" in correspondence was being felt at the Fiumicino postal sorting centre, with "up to 150 kilograms more mail per day," said the unit's head, Antonello Chidichimo. In a bit of self-promotion, the postal service said it was playing a "fundamental role in ensuring that every message of support and prayer reaches its destination". On the anniversary of Francis's 12 years as pope Friday, his favourite football team -- Buenos Aires' San Lorenzo -- posted a video message of support, with other messages arriving from Brazilian footballer Neymar and Italy's former player Ciro Ferrara. The Argentine pontiff has previously thanked well-wishers for their letters and prayers, noting their "affection and closeness". In February, ten days after Francis was hospitalised, the Vatican published a message written by him in which he cited the "many messages of affection". "I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children," wrote Francis. ams/gv
