{"id":35994,"date":"2014-11-13T07:14:39","date_gmt":"2014-11-13T12:14:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/?p=35994"},"modified":"2016-09-30T15:42:41","modified_gmt":"2016-09-30T19:42:41","slug":"is-the-pope-purging-conservatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/2014\/11\/is-the-pope-purging-conservatives\/","title":{"rendered":"Is the pope purging conservatives?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Short answer: no.<\/p>\n

Still,\u00a0after the recent news about Cardinal Burke, some think so. But\u00a0Fr. Dwight Longenecker<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0offers some helpful context:<\/p>\n

This Vatican re-shuffle had been on the cards for months. It may be part of a larger, intentional change of direction on the part of the pontiff, as Fr. Mark Drew observes in an excellent article\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0at the UK\u2019s Catholic Herald, but set against this opinion is the fact that Cardinal Burke has just completed the usual five year term traditional for Prefects of the Apostolic Signatura. Those who shrug their shoulders at gossip about feuds say, \u201cIt\u2019s no big deal. He was due for a transfer.\u201d In answer to those who suggest that Burke\u2019s transfer is a deliberate attempt on the part of Pope Francis to silence his enemies the shoulder shruggers would say, \u201cSilence Burke? His new job as Patron of the Order\u00a0of Malta gives him virtually no responsibilities, while providing him with a base in Rome and the time to travel, lecture, write and lead and make his point. Rather than silencing Cardinal Burke it could be that Pope Francis is giving him his voice and therefore encouraging the \u201cloyal opposition\u201d in a healthy way.<\/p>\n

A further argument against the\u00a0\u201cpurge of conservatives\u201d theory is that other noted conservatives have not been sidelined. Cardinal Pell is a prime example. A key member of Pope Francis\u2019 consultatory group of eight cardinals, Pell was hand picked by Francis to bring about reforms at the Vatican Bank. Cardinal Mueller, head of the powerful Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, is another conservative voice close to Pope Francis. Both Mueller and Pell were also outspoken on behalf of the conservative faction at the synod. Those who suspect that a feud between Pope Francis and Cardinal Burke is part of a larger purge must acknowledge that the evidence is slim. It is true that Pope Francis is attempting to forward his agenda of change, but it is not true that he is kicking out everyone who disagrees with him.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Read it all.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Short answer: no. Still,\u00a0after the recent news about Cardinal Burke, some think so. But\u00a0Fr. Dwight Longenecker\u00a0offers some helpful context: This Vatican re-shuffle had been on the cards for months. It may be part of a larger, intentional change of direction on the part of the pontiff, as Fr. Mark Drew observes in an excellent article\u00a0here\u00a0at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,873],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pope","category-vatican"],"yoast_head":"\nIs the pope purging conservatives?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Short answer: no. Still,\u00a0after the recent news about Cardinal Burke, some think so. But\u00a0Fr. 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