"Leo XIV Consolidates Francis's Personnel Policy"
Lawler notes that Cardinal Robert Prevost, as Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, inherited the members of that dicastery who had been appointed by Francis.
"If the new pontiff wanted to change the composition of the group and thereby alter the type of clerics chosen to become diocesan bishops, he could have done so last week when he appointed his own members to the dicastery. He didn’t."
Leo XIV did not choose his own team, but instead confirmed thirty of the thirty-one dicastery members chosen by Pope Francis.
The only exception was a religious sister who, at 81, was beyond the age of eligibility.
Lawler adds that the only Americans on the panel are Cardinals Blase Cupich of Chicago and Joseph Tobin of Newark: "So American Catholics wondering whether the new Pope will appoint different bishops needn't wonder any longer."
To fill the vacant dicastery seat, Leo XIV made a choice that reinforced the direction taken by Francis, appointing Sister Simona Brambilla.
She had previously been Francis's controversial choice as Prefect of the Dicastery for Religious in October 2023. This marked the first time that a woman had been placed at the head of a Vatican dicastery.
Lawler comments: "The appointment of Sister Brambilla raised questions and eyebrows around Rome, so some Vatican watchers questioned whether Pope Leo XIV would confirm her role at the Dicastery for Religious. That question has now been answered too."
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