Cardinal Burke's promotion is officially gazetted! Viva!! Viva!! Viva!! Let us hope that we see much more of him; hear him much more! Let there be an end to reticence!
A month ago I published this; which I repeat with its original thread.
Being Patron of the Knights will not be a full-time job. So it will leave Cardinal Burke free to follow a world-wide role in the 'Traditionalist' movement. He will be able to go anywhere in the world by virtue of privileges he enjoys as a Cardinal; local Ordinaries will not be able to sneer at or exclude a pater purpuratus. He will be available, to an even greater extent than at present, to lend grandeur to liturgical events, and erudition to conferences. As he did after the publication of Evangelii gaudium, he will be able to give the Universal Church nuanced judgements upon the magisterial status of papal utterances ... a much needed ministry in this Pontificate, and one for which Raymond Burke is well qualified. With his curial knowledge, he will be on hand to offer guidance and protection to groups, communities, and orders which were experiencing difficulties. Given his expertise in Canon Law, and being no longer silenced by judicial office, he will be there to give legal assistance to groups and individuals being unlawfully persecuted. Might he even become Cardinal Protector of the Ordinariates? Having the court status of a Prince of the Blood Royal, he can never be excluded from being admitted to the presence of the Sovereign Pontiff, either this one or the next one or two or three. To borrow two phrases popularly used of the globe-trotting Cardinal Pacelli in the 1930s, Cardinal Burke will be, for traditional, Wojtilan, Ratzingerian, hermeneutic-of-continuity Catholics, the vice-papa, the Cardinale volante.
It must be that the Holy Father has in mind for the Cardinal just such a role, for which he is so eminently well suited. We should welcome with much enthusiasm this guarantee that the World of Tradition is an important, growing, permanent and influential part of the ecclesial life of the entire Latin Church.
Viva il Papa! Viva il Cardinale!
He could be planning to lead a new Crusade!
ReplyDeleteWhether Papa Francis has this in mind, I have no idea. However, it works out that he can do it. Travel to conferences, give talks, write, celebrate the usus antiquior with great frequency.
ReplyDeleteI would love that this would be what is happening. We miss him in St. Louis. We can only hope and pray.
ReplyDeleteIt occurs to me that the Holy Sprit may be playing a "blinder". We have had Benedict, a great Pope of doctrine and liturgy. Now we have Francis, a great Pope of mission and mercy. Next we could have a great Pope of Canon Law, the first Pontiff from North America. Worship, mission and Canon Law are too much for one Pope to handle so perhaps God has divided the tasks?
ReplyDeleteI have great affection for Cardinal Burke – and not just because he is a native of my adopted home of Wisconsin. In many respects he is viewed as some wrongly viewed then Cardinal Ratzinger – aloof and a taskmaster – while in fact he is a kindly and pastoral priest.
ReplyDeleteHis care for his seminarians while in St. Louis – weekly visits to the Seminary, walks with each individual seminarian, listening to them and counseling them – showed him to be a father to his flock. That he took the hard decisions and was unashamedly orthodox didn’t prevent him from being open and paternal with his people.
I like David’s idea of him as a future Pope (and I suspect he would wear the red shoes…), but I fear that is a pipe-dream.
Absolutelly right, Father. It is most important that Catholics in Continuity during this next year do everything they can to ensure the teaching of the Church is maintained. Cardinal Burke will be crucial.
ReplyDeleteNow come on Father, you have a few contacts? More than I as a simple ex-member of the parish council of a small parish.
So do your best!
So the next Conclave will be held at Villa Malta?
ReplyDelete;-)
Well, it might be a pipe-dream that Burke would ascend to the Chair of Peter, however, after this current Pope (May the Lord bless him and keep him), we may have had a game-changer which would make a Papa Burke less improbable...just a hunch!
ReplyDeletePerhaps Cardinal Burke should head to the missions forsaking his satin sheets, cappa magna, whimpering and self-pity. He was totally a product of John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Did he not promise obedience and respect to any pope and his successor? This is too much drama for a mature man. How about some humility?
ReplyDeleteExspecto Patronum!
ReplyDeleteTimothy G Murphy: I can't say I've seen any whimpering or self-pity from Card. Burke. Nor, if it comes to that, any disobedience or disrespect to the Holy Father. Could you perhaps furnish evidence of this?
ReplyDelete"[T]otally a product of John Paul II and Benedict XVI"? There can surely be no higher accolade.