Cardinal-designate Raymond Burke speaks to Vatican Radio

Since 2008 he’s been in charge of the Vatican’s Supreme Court of sorts: the Apostolic Signatura and soon, he’ll be one of 24 new cardinals to be created in the Vatican November 20^th. 62 year old Raymond Leo Burke was Archbishop of St. Louis and earlier, the bishop of La Crosse, Wisconsin before Pope Benedict appointed him head of the Signatura.

A canon lawyer, the cardinal-designate worked for the Vatican tribunal from 1989 to 1994 and was named a member of the body in 2006. He has also served on the Roman Rota, the Church’s central appeals court.

In this, the first of a two part interview, Tracey McClure spoke to him about his life and career.

Cardinal-designate Burke says he didn’t have a “light bulb” moment or a flash of recognition when he realized he was destined for the priesthood.
“from the time I was small I was quite attracted to the priesthood. I came from a good Catholic family where the practice of the faith was very important and my parents were very close to the parish priest… a native of Ireland.”

At the age of 14, Burke entered the minor seminary in his hometown of La Crosse, Wisconsin and describes it as “a very positive experience.”

He describes his later years, during the “late 1960’s and early Seventies” as ones with “a lot of turmoil in the seminary, which naturally raised questions.”

“1968 was the symbolic year of the Paris student riots… but that whole rebellion against authority entered into the seminary too and in an unfortunate coincidence, coincided with the implementation of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.”
“What happened in my judgement was more of this rebellion (against) authority… than the actual reading and studying of the documents of the Council and following them.”

When asked what childhood incident may have changed the course of his life, Cardinal-designate Burke recounts “when I was seven, my father became very ill… with a brain tumour… the priest would come (to administer the sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion)… and I saw this was sustaining my father very much; it also gave me so much comfort.”
Listen to the interview: