Pope Francis: Daily Roundup

• Pope taps eight cardinals to lead reform of the Roman curia, by John Allen Jr. National Catholic Reporter 04/13/13. In a signal that major reform may be on the horizon, the Vatican announced today that Pope Francis has formed a group of eight cardinals from around the world to “advise him on the government of the universal church” and “to study a project of revision” of a document from John Paul II on the Roman Curia.
• Francis asks to consecrate his pontificate to Our Lady of Fatima La Stampa "The Vatican Insider" 04/12/13.
• Pope Francis' Address to Members of the Pontifical Biblical Commission Translation of the address delivered by Pope Francis to the members of the Pontifical Biblical Commission. The commission concluded their Plenary Assembly under the theme: "Inspiration and Truth of the Bible."

Commentary

• Cardinal Joge Bergoglio: an Anthology: What Can We Learn About Francis From His Earlier Teachings? Zenit. 04/11/13. What does Pope Francis think about subjects such as bioethics, the family, education, youth, political power, human trafficking, social justice, and other themes?
• Hard questions about Francis in Argentina and a lesson from Chile, by John Allen, Jr. National Catholic Reporter. April 12, 2013:

  I spent early April in Buenos Aires, where I tried to learn more about Pope Francis from those who know him best as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. The idea was to gain insight into the man and his vision of the church, and I published some of what I found along the way. However, I also had to look into some hard questions about the new pope's record in Argentina. They include:

  • Bergoglio's response to two priests accused of sexual abuse, where critics have suggested he dropped the ball;
  • why Argentina's conference of Catholic bishops did not finish a set of sex abuse guidelines while he served as president;
  • his relationship with Argentina's military dictatorship as a Jesuit provincial during the 1970s;
  • Bergoglio's attitude toward liberation theology; and confusion over where he stood on the question of civil unions during a contentious national
  • debate on gay marriage in 2009 and 2010.

  The following are the best answers I can provide based on what I learned in Argentina.

• Early Returns on Pope Francis’ Pontificate, by Edward Pentin. National Catholic Register 04/12/13. It’s still too early to gauge what the Holy Father plans in some key areas, but after an impressive start a clearer picture is coming into focus.
• “But I’m the Pope. Sit down.” Pia De Solenni 04/13/12:

  He went back into his apartment and, after a few minutes, returned with a chair in his hand: “At least sit down and rest.”

  Shocked, the Swiss Guard replied, “Forgive me, but I can’t! The rules don’t allow it.”

  “The rules?”

• Response to the election of (and reaction to) Pope Francis -- via Tumblr Gif Talk, by Amy Welborn. Charlotte Was Both 04/08/13.