Remember when Cardinal Burke said he wished the Pope would intervene, that he would speak out about what was being discussed at the synod?
He did. He also put the rumor to rest that Cardinal Burke was demoted because of his outspokenness during the synod proceedings:
Pope Francis has denied that removing American Cardinal Raymond Burke as head of the Vatican’s highest court was a “punishment” for his outspokenly conservative views at a recent summit of bishops, saying instead he wanted a “smart American” to serve as patron of the Order of Malta.
“It is not true that I removed him because of how he had behaved in the synod,” Francis said.
The pontiff said that the move was part of a broader restructuring of the Vatican bureaucracy that had been decided well before the October 5-19 synod of bishops on the family. The reason he waited until after the synod to make it official, he said, was so that Burke could still participate in the meeting as the head of a Vatican department. - Crux
Works for me.
The Holy Father also shed some light upon his concern for the pastoral care of gay Catholics, poignantly explaining:
“Nobody mentioned homosexual marriage at the synod, it did not cross our minds,” the pope said. Rather, “the synod addressed the family and the homosexual persons in relation to their families, because we come across this reality all the time in the confessional: a father and a mother whose son or daughter is in that situation.”
He said that this “happened to me several times in Buenos Aires. We have to find a way to help that father or that mother to stand by their son or daughter.” - CruxDeacon Kandra posted more clarifications here.
I'm just speculating here, but I'm willing to guess the Holy Father might not agree with Cardinal Burke that gay relatives should not be included at family Christmas gatherings. Although the latest Argentine interview should teach us not to assume we know what the Holy Father is thinking, as well as to avoid jumping to conclusions regarding his actions. It's clear that recent events - including the so-called 'sacking' of the Swiss Guard commander, wasn't what the media made it out to be.
He also denied sacking the Commander of the Swiss Guards, Daniel Anrig, as the Italian and international media reported recently. He explained that Anrig’s term of office had actually ended two months after his election as pope but, not knowing the situation well, he asked him to stay on until further notice. Last July they agreed he would bow out at the end of the year, as it was time for a renewal. “He’s an excellent person, a very good Catholic, and a man who has an excellent family,” he added. - America
Looks to me as if pop-Catholic social media deserves a failing grade on accurate reporting regarding Pope Francis.
