In a preposterous Vatican statement, one important revelation

Cardinal Braz de Aviz

By Phil Lawler

May 07, 2013 11:53 AM

Catholic Culture

Today’s bizarre public statement from the Vatican press office, denying what any intelligent observer recognizes as the truth, does contain one nugget of reality.
The statement denies that there has been any difference of opinion between Cardinal Braz de Aviz and Archbishop Müller, when the cardinal has already made their differences public.
The statement claims that two Vatican congregations have been collaborating closely, when the cardinal has already revealed that one congregation didn’t know what the other was doing.


Phil Lawler

On those matters, the Vatican statement does not—how shall I put it?—correspond very closely with reality. However, when the statement adds that Cardinal Braz de Aviz and Archbishop Müller met yesterday, there no reason to doubt that is true. It seems likely that other Vatican officials (one or two names come to mind) insisted on that meeting. And it is worth noticing what the two prelates were said to have agreed upon; they “reaffirmed their common commitment to the renewal of Religious Life, and particularly to the Doctrinal Assessment of the LCWR and the program of reform it requires, in accordance with the wishes of the Holy Father.”
Thus after making a few claims that will be quickly and rightly dismissed, the Vatican statement actually underlines an important point: that the reform of the LCWR is required, and that Pope Francis supports that reform.
If Cardinal Braz de Aviz hoped to undermine the CDF plans for reform by going public with his dissatisfaction, that move backfired.