Sunday, August 21, 2011

The Pope "absolves" Policarpo

The "diplomatic incident" in which the Cardinal Archbishop of Lisbon, Jose da Cruz Policarpo was involved in recent weeks, following the release of some opening statements in relation to women priests, seems to have been permanently dismissed. 

As reported by Vatican Radio, the Pope, in fact sent him a letter expressing his wishes on the occasion of the  fiftieth anniversary of the Archbishop’s priestly ordination. 

In the letter, he recognized the Cardinal’s "sound doctrine," among other things.

The Portuguese Cardinal has been defined by Pope Benedict XVI, as a "steward of the richness of Christ and faithful minister of the Church." 

The Pope recalls that Policarpo was appointed auxiliary bishop of Lisbon by Paul VI and then became the Patriarch of Lisbon, during the pontificate of John Paul II. 

In the letter, Benedict XVI wrote that Cardinal Policarpo in recent years has distinguished himself for the "sound doctrine," “the clear understanding of church discipline" and “for the hard work" in his diocese. 

 It also recalled his commitment to the whole Nation, as President of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference and the Apostolic Center, as a member of the College of Cardinals and of other Vatican departments.  

The Pope therefore asked the Lord to reward Cardinal Policarpo with generosity for his merits and to support him in his pastoral ministry.

At the end of the letter, the Pope imparted his apostolic blessing to the Cardinal and extended it to the whole community of believers in Lisbon.

Policarpo had raised alarm bells in the Vatican, when, in a recent interview with the monthly 'Ordem dos Advogados', he allegedly declared himself to be "open" to the idea of women priests.

However, what the Cardinal had actually said, was that he saw no "major obstacle" to the priestly ordination of women.  

On 6 July,  Cardinal Policarpo retracted the statement with an official note, in which he stated: "The reaction to that interview  forced me to consider the issue more carefully, and I found that, I was in fact responsible for causing these reactions especially as I did not take into account the latest pronouncements of the Magisterium on the theme."

The Portuguese press also reported that the Patriarch of Lisbon had been called by the Vatican with a confidential letter by Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and with an invitation to a private meeting by the Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. 

A meeting took place in recent days at Castel Gandolfo, and that has cleared up any doubts that existed.