NEW JERSEY
The Record
NOVEMBER 14, 2014
BY ALFRED P. DOBLIN
THE RECORD
Alfred P. Doblin is the editorial page editor of The Record. Contact him at doblin@northjersey.com. Follow AlfredPDoblin on Twitter.
THE WORD “miracle” is often used in the Catholic Church. In October, Pope Francis beatified Pope Paul VI, the first step toward sainthood. Popes John XXIII and John Paul II were canonized saints in April of this year.
Two miracles must be attributed to a candidate for sainthood. The process focuses on miracles affecting individuals; one affecting an institution may be occurring before our eyes.
Francis, elected by a body of cardinals mostly selected for their conservative views and lack of personal charisma, is emerging as the most progressive, charismatic pope since John XXIII. If this isn’t a miracle, I’m not sure what qualifies.
On Saturday, Francis demoted Cardinal Raymond Burke, not a household word in America unless you live in St. Louis where Burke was once archbishop. Burke was a favorite of previous popes because he is a hard-line conservative. He railed against Catholic public officials who supported a woman’s right to choose. Burke believed those opinions were sufficient reasons to deny those Catholics communion.
Burke was sent to the Vatican where he once was on the committee that recommended who would be named bishop. Francis removed him from that committee. Burke also was the head of the Vatican’s highest court. Francis removed him from that post last week and then made him the new cardinal protector of the Sovereign Order of Malta.
The Knights and Dames of Malta are loyal Catholics, and usually not without substantial financial means. It is a nice title for a lay person indeed, but the cardinal protector doesn’t have much to do. Pope Francis sent his Napoleon into exile.
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