How the bishop factory is changing

There was, however, a great stir in the media over the removal, together with Rigali, of American cardinal Burke, a churchman very much attached to the traditional liturgy and always in the front ranks in the defense of "non-negotiable" principles, so much so as to be a tenacious proponent of the fact that on the basis of canon law it is not possible to give communion to those politicians who pertinaciously and publicly support and propose laws in favor of the right to abortion.

In the place of Burke the pope chose Wuerl, who although he has a past as a personal secretary and conclavist, in 1978, of ultraconservative cardinal John Wright (bishop of Pittsburgh and later prefect of the congregation for the clergy), has a much more compliant attitude than Burke with regard to pro-abortion politicians.

This change has been hailed positively in the "liberal" American world, which is now hoping for the selection of more progressive bishops with respect to those appointed in recent years.

What the congregation for bishops remade from the ground up by Pope Francis will produce will be seen in the upcoming months.

Before that, however, we will learn the names of the first cardinals created by the new pontiff at the consistory next February. With him, making predictions is much more difficult than in the past. Surprise is the rule.

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