Two letters from Pope Francis: one welcoming 21 new cardinals, including Toronto Archbishop Francis Leo; one to the College of Cardinals concerning financial reform.

Dear Brothers,

With your elevation to the College of Cardinals, you will become a member of the Roman clergy.  Welcome!  That membership is an expression of the Church’s unity and of the bond that unites all the Churches with this Church of Rome.

I urge you to make every effort as a Cardinal to embody the three attitudes with which an Argentinian poet (Francisco Luis Bernárdez) characterized Saint John of the Cross, and which are also applicable to us: “eyes raised, hands joined, feet bare”.

Eyes raised because your service will require you to lengthen your gaze and broaden your heart, in order to see farther and to love more expansively and with greater fervour.  To sit with John of the Cross “at the school of his gaze” (Benedict XVI), which is the pierced side of Christ.

Hands joined because what the Church most needs – together with the preaching of the Gospel – is your prayer to be able to shepherd well the flock of Christ.  

Feet bare, because they touch the harsh realities of all those parts of the world overwhelmed by the pain and suffering…. these will demand from you great compassion and mercy.

I thank you for your generosity and I assure you of my prayers that the title of “servant” will increasingly eclipse that of “eminence.”

Rome

October 6 2024

Dear Brothers

Ten years ago we began reform of the Roman Curia and, through the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium, established the new organization of the Holy See, specifying its guiding principles and aims. Ecclesia semper reformanda: this was the spirit that inspired the reform, in order to ensure that the Roman Curia assists the Successor of Peter in the exercise of his supreme pastoral office for the good and service of the universal Church and the particular Churches.

We know the dedication and labours of the women and men committed to adapting to this movement of renewal. It has fallen to you, brother Cardinals, in your function of assisting the Roman Pontiff in the governance of the universal Church, to accompany those involved in this process of transformation.

Despite the difficulties and, at times, temptation to immobility and inflexibility, many results have been accomplished. I thank you for the help you continue to give. I would now like to address again one of the themes that most characterized the General Congregations before the Conclave: the economic reform of the Holy See. The years have shown that requests for reform by so many members of the College of Cardinals have been far-sighted and led to greater awareness that the economic resources at the service of the mission are limited and must be managed with rigour so the efforts of those who have contributed to the patrimony of the Holy See are not wasted.

An extra effort is now required from everyone so a “zero deficit” is not just a theoretical goal, but an achievable objective. The reform has laid the foundations for the implementation of ethical policies to improve the economic performance of existing assets. Accompanying this is the need for each institution to strive to find external resources for its mission, setting an example of transparent and responsible management in the service of the Church.

With regard to the reduction of costs, we need to set a concrete example so that our service is carried out in a spirit of essentiality, avoiding the superfluous and selecting our priorities well, favouring mutual collaboration and synergies. We must be aware that today we are faced with strategic decisions to be taken with great responsibility because we are called upon to guarantee the future of the Mission.

The Institutions of the Holy See have much to learn from the solidarity of good families. Just as in these families those who enjoy a good economic situation come to the aid of the members who are most in need, the Bodies with a surplus should contribute to covering the general deficit. This means taking care of the good of our communities, acting with generosity, in the Gospel sense of the word, as an indispensable precondition for asking for generosity from outside as well.

I ask you to welcome this message with courage, a spirit of service, and to support the ongoing reforms with conviction, loyalty and generosity, contributing with your knowledge and experience of the reform process….

The Vatican 

Sept. 16 2024