The following comes from a Nov. 19 story on the website of Catholic News Agency.
At least 30 priests employed in Vatican departments may be removed from their posts and sent to dioceses in the following months, according to three different Vatican sources.
“The Congregation for Clergy will be the first of the list,” a Vatican source familiar with the congregation told CNA Nov. 14.
Four priests employed in the congregation have been called to serve in dioceses. Among them is Monsignor Luciano Alimandi, who had been for years private secretary to the department’s former head Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos.
According to the source, Msgr. Alimandi and the other three were “all part of the Cardinal Mauro Piacenza’s inner circle.” He was prefect of the Congregation for Clergy until last September.
Cardinal Piacenza was appointed to lead the Vatican’s Apostolic Pentientiary tribunal on Sept. 21. Archbishop Beniamino Stella replaced him as prefect for the Congregation of the Clergy.
A second source who had been recently in touch with Archbishop Stella explained to CNA Nov. 10 that “many changes are awaited in the Congregation.”
The source also maintained that “Pope Francis seemingly wants to have less employees in the Vatican departments, and aims to send the most priests he can to serve in parishes and dioceses.”
Pope Francis’ reform, the source assured, “would give more power to the local bishops. In the past, when there was a difficult case to handle, an official of the Congregation was sent for an on-site visit to report on it. In the future, local bishops could be entrusted with these reports, thus taking part of the work of the Vatican dicasteries.”
According to another source who spoke to CNA Nov. 14 and asked for anonymity, “the changes would involve all the Vatican departments.”
The source underscored that “when appointed as member of the Council of Eight Cardinals, Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello made several visits to Vatican Congregations, asking each of them a list of people the Congregation could do without.”
According to the source, the list will include about 30 people, all priests. The source added that “part of the priests had been requested back by their home dioceses.”
To read the original story, click here.
SOUNDS GOOD TO ME!!!!!
SEND SOME OF THEM TO THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN FRANCISCO,
WE REALLY NEED THEM.
I think we need them more in Oakland and ones that speak English that can be understood.
is there a shortage of priests in san francisco
Good, have them sent to the good ol USA to see first hand the nonsense that is going on. Maybe with the years of service at the Vatican, they should be able to convince the leaders things should be cleaned up.
I wonder, if, with the cuts in the clergy, if the positions will be filled with liberal nuns. After all, most of the positions in the chancery offices are now held by dissident nuns, or femi-nazis ( as Rush Limbough would call them). In years past, most of the positions were held by priests. Now even Catholic hospitals no longer have priests as chaplains. The priest shortage was manufactured, and this practice has been going on for at least 40 years. Read GOODBYE GOOD MEN, and other books to know I am not fabricating this data. May God have mercy on us.
The ‘man’ shortage in society has been manufactured as well, Father. The breakdown in the family only mirrors that which has been happening in tandem throughout the hierarchy of Holy Mother Church – or any society for that matter that actually values the truly necessary, complimentary roles of both sexes.
How many ‘families’ out there have no head, no father, no male anything save for the transient hit and miss embraced by ‘freedom of choice’ or should I say ‘freedom of license’ lovers. Put the male back where he should be – head of the family, willing to die for his wife, mainstay provider and you either get branded a weak female, oppressed slave, uneducated, not fully actualized, or a burka wearing Taliban supporter.
As for convincing leadership that there needs to be a cleanup, THEY ALREADY KNOW, and have for a long, long time.
I have read Goodbye Good Men, and it paints a horrible picture of what the seminaries were like. I assume they are not still that bad. On the other hand, when you quote Rush Limbough, you lose a lot of credibility. That would be equal to watching Fox News.
Bob One: Your remarks on Rush Limbaugh expose you as a knee-jerk liberal.
I’m not knee-jerk. I’m Catholic, and that is defined as liberal. You can’t be politically conservative and embrace the teachings of the Catholic church. Now, that changes from time to time. What was once a liberal Rockefeller republican is now an extreme conservative, But, ….
Of course a person can be politically conservative and embrace the full teachings of the Catholic Church, Bob One. As to talking-heads, would you suggest Catholics listen to the likes of Melissa Harris-Perry, Martin Bashir, or Piers Morgan?
Now Bob One that is your opinion! I happen to like Rush Limbaugh and Fox News. I agree with Anton…and I also think that you expose your self as those liberals who brain wash people and who do not want people to reason for themselves. Perhaps that is why you decided to discredit good folks from Fox and Rush. You are beginning to sound like msnbc. They are such awful liberal hogwash…its so easy to see between the lines, how they twist the truth to promote their agendas. They remind of of those history lessons we once heard of when the communists used their media to brainwash and falsify information just so they can promote their propaganda.
Fox is extreme right wing and MSNBC is extreme left wing. It is very hard to find a channel that is moderate/center or overtly presents both sides of almost every story. I find that the New Hour comes closest. Any other suggestions? I don’t like to listen/watch only the side I agree with, otherwise you don’t have a good understanding of the issue.
Bob One: You obviously never watch Fox News. There are plenty of liberals bloviating on Fox News. I find them so annoying I often leave the room in frustration. THERE ARE NO CONSERVATIVES EVER ON MSNBC. PERIOD!
Fr. Karl, I agree with you that the “priest shortage was manufactured”. Anything the Leftist, Socialist touch, starts out this way. First destroy order, then “fix” the resulting disorder with godless institutions.
I know that the shortage was manufactured because I remember when before Vatican II, there were plenty of priests. After the council, many left because of the liberal changes. All this was manufactured by liberal dissidents to change the church. I would not mind if laymen took over the vatican priests because they are needed in the parishes, however, keep the liberal so called nuns out. I cannot stand liberal women. They are the worst people on the planet next to child molesters because they are the ones responsible for most of the problems in the church. I am working for the restoration of all the lovely things that we had in the past because the church today has too many problems and I think that the only way to take care of it is to put things back that were thrown out. There are plenty of other churches that liberal dissident can go to and once they find that people will quit listening to them, they will drift over there and leave us alone.
Tracy,
You might want to know that what you just described above is also the master plan for the Communist Party. They use manufactured injustices to create even greater injustices, then come in with a plan to solve the injustices they created, eg: PICO, etc. etc.
May God have mercy on an amoral Amerika!
Viva Cristo Rey!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher, Founding Director
Concerned Roman Catholics of America, Inc.
Kenneth, I find it offensive that you spell the name of my country as if it had been taken over by Russia. To spell it that way has been the habit of hippies and law-breaking, anti-America extremists since the 1960’s.
Spelling America as if we were won over by Russia is to promote the sympathies of those who wished the overthrow of the United States and all it stood for. It is a shorthand means of expressing hatred for this country. I ask you again to please cease this despicable habit unless you so hate this nation as to be among those who should consider leaving it.
Send the Jesuits teaching at Jesuit colleges out to work among the slums around the world especially in Africa, Asia and South America. It’s time for their reform. Not to teach either but to mend wounds and sicknesses.
How about a trade? We send the entire Chancery Office of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to the Curia in exchange for the entire curial staff plus a Cardinal to be named later.
A wonderful idea, they may be able to assist Father Karl!
Good!!!!
Priests are ordained to serve the people of God, not to work on their “careers” in some fancy villa overseas.
Some of these priests need to get back into parish life and administer the Sacraments, teach the Faith, tend the sick, and not spend their “vocations” being bureaucrats climbing some imaginary ladder!!!!
Folks, it just came to my attention that churches may have a second collection this Sunday for the controversial Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). Things have improved with the organization, but it still has a long ways to go to be worthy of our support. Google “Catholic Campaign for Human Development has improved” to read the latest about it.
Joel thanks for mentioning.
Thanks for the tip. It is a press release from American Life League saying that there are 20 organizations that they feel are not worthy of CCHD money. I am a little surprised that they applaud the funding of an organization that provides counseling called BirthChoice whose choice options includes abortion:
“Like choosing to give birth and parent your child or choosing to parent through adoption, abortion is not something to be taken lightly. Birth Choice Health Clinics is here to support, comfort and to help you make the right choice for you and your pregnancy. No matter what choice you make, BCHC will care for you before, during and after your pregnancy.
The professional staff and medical experts at Birth Choice Health Clinics can help answer any questions you have regarding abortion, like “What is Abortion?” We can give you the information about methods of abortion and the facts about abortion. We are here for you. We have many locations that will provide you with information about pregnancy, abortion and its alternatives as well as other related health issues. In addition, we also provide information about the abortion procedure, the pros and cons of abortion, including the possible side effects of abortion, and the types of abortion available for you. To speak to someone, anytime, please feel free to call or schedule an appointment at a nearby BCHC. We provide free, confidential services and ensure that you have all the information to make the right decision for you and your pregnancy. Please note that Birth Choice Health Clinics do not perform abortions.”
From the website
It would appear that the Vatican apparatus is essentially a large corporate enterprise. As such it is subject to all the temptations of corporate management, i.e., growing one’s bailiwick and extending one’s empire. A good housecleaning will do them good. I believe that our new pope is the right man to diminish this no doubt overgrown bureaucracy by trimming some of its excess lard. Good move!
I heartily agree with Anton.
Priests should be serving in parishes — not running offices.
I agree with those who talk about priests being servants of the people. Most Bishops would not be in their palaces if they had to serve as parish priests for ten or fifteen years before being sent off to Rome for indoctrination. We don’t need college professors as Bishops, we need pastors. On the other hand, it would be useful if the pastors went through some management training before becoming Bishops.
Pray for our Pope Francis, he has immense job….and is making enemies within this elite ‘club’ of the Vatican’s……..Pray also is needed for these ‘servants of God’ that will have to serve there local parishes soon….may they serve as God would want them to…….May they be redeemed in this way.
Our Pastor came back in July from a 6 month sabatical in Rome. He witnessed Pope Benedict XVI leaving and Pope Francis election. Amazing, historical events that would hopefully change his heart and mind toward supporting someone like Obama. Did it? Nope.