(Vatican Radio) Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., director of the Holy See Press Office,
on Wednesday gave a briefing on the third meeting of Pope Francis and the Council
of Cardinals (C8) which took place on Tuesday afternoon.
After commenting on
the fact that each day the number of journalists present for the briefings increases,
probably – he said – due to the fact that many foreign journalists are arriving in
town to follow the Consistory over the weekend, Fr. Lombardi communicated that on
Tuesday afternoon the Council continued its work based on the reports received by
the Commission for Reference on the Organisation of the Economic-Administrative Structure
of the Holy See (COSEA).
Father Lombardi explained that, based on the results
of those reports, the Cardinals formulated their proposals and presented them to the
Holy Father.
He said the two sectors on which they have focussed regard the
organization of Vatican institutions related to economic and financial affairs, and
the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR), commonly known as the Vatican Bank – which
Fr. Lombardi said – represents a much more specific and limited issue.
Father
Lombardi pointed out that although the Cardinals have penned their proposals according
to their own evaluations, the Pope himself will be the one to decide on how things
proceed with eventual specifications and recommendations.
The Director of the
Press Office also revealed that this afternoon a meeting of the Council of Fifteen
- the 15 Councils who have already arrived in the Vatican in view of the upcoming
Consistory- will take place in the Apostolic Palace’s “Sala Bologna”.
He said
that they too will be briefed by the two Commissions who presented their reports to
the Council of Eight.