Roma Locuta Est

November 29, 2023 (Steven O’Reilly) – In recent days news has come out that Pope Francis has decided to take steps to punish Cardinal Burke, per one report, for being his “nemico,” Italian for “enemy”. The original report appeared on the Italian website, La Bussola Quotidiana.  The article, titled “Il Papa: Via casa e stipendio al cardinale Burke” (i..e, The Pope: “Cardinal Burke’s house and salary go away”), reported Pope Francis had decided to end the stipend Burke receives as a cardinal, as well as taking away the housing given to him as a cardinal living in Rome.

Per the report, Pope Francis said in a meeting that “Cardinal Burke is my enemy, so I take away his apartment and his salary.”  Leftist Catholics claim that Pope Francis would not say such a thing. But, even they now admit and confirm Pope Francis has done what the original report alleges. Yet they still deny the words attributed to Francis.  Austen Ivereigh assures us that the motivation of the original report was “motivated by animus!” and was “pure fiction.” There is no point quibbling with Ivereigh on this point, as he is an obsequious toady of Francis. But the truth is evident for all to see it, if they but open their eyes. The temper of Francis is legendary, e.g., several Christmases ago when he snapped at a Chinese woman in St. Peter’s square. Also, the fairness and justness of Francis’s judgments on matters of personnel policy is infamously suspect, the treatment of the case of Fr. Rupnik but the latest in a long line of examples.  But we can also recall the Pope’s own snarky comments about Cardinal Burke when Burke was sick with COVID.  So, the wording attributed to Pope Francis in the original report is entirely consistent with the Pope Francis we have come to know.

Regardless, writer Austen Ivereigh confirms the essentials of the report, though denying the pope’s words.  Ivereigh, in an article on the liberal Where Peter Is website, wrote (bold added):

“I met with Pope Francis on the afternoon of November 27th. It was a short meeting because of his lung inflammation, which meant it took him some effort to speak. (The following evening his trip to Dubai was cancelled because it had not improved enough.) In the course of our conversation, Francis told me he had decided to remove Cardinal Burke’s cardinal privileges — his apartment and salary — because he had been using those privileges against the Church. He told me that while the decision wasn’t a secret, he didn’t intend a public announcement but earlier that day (Monday) it had been leaked.”

(Where Peter Is.  “What Pope Francis said about Cardinal Burke,” by Austen Ivereigh.  November 29, 2023)

More concerning, in the same article, Ivereigh also cites other articles that give additional detail.  Ivereigh writes (bold and italics added):

As it happened, others who were at the November 20 meeting had already done so, speaking on condition of anonymity to reputable journalists. One told Massimo Franco of Corriere della Sera that the Pope had informed them of “some measures of an economic nature, together with canonical penalties” he would be taking against the cardinal. According to a source present at the meeting cited by the Associated Press’s Nicole Winfield, this was because Burke was “a source of ‘disunity’ in the church.” A Reuters report by Philip Pullella quoted an official at the same meeting recalling the Pope saying that Burke was “working against the Church and against the papacy” and had sown “disunity” in the Church. The same official specifically denied that Francis had referred to Burke as an “enemy.”

(Where Peter Is.  “What Pope Francis said about Cardinal Burke,” by Austen Ivereigh.  November 29, 2023)

Most accounts I’ve seen focus on Burke’s loss of the stipend and his Roman apartment, while this is bad enough — what concerns me most is the cryptic reference to “canonical penalties” which Cardinal Burke apparently also faces.  The article in Corriere della Sera, cited by Ivereigh, says at one point (bold added):

“Senza scendere nei dettagli, il papa avrebbe annunciato contro Burke «alcuni provvedimenti di natura economica, accompagnati da pene canoniche», ha riferito un alto prelato presente all’incontro, riferendosi a appartamento e stipendio.” (Source: Le accuse al Papa dei cardinali conservatori Usa e la reazione di Francesco contro Burke: cosa sta succedendo in Vaticano?)

Roma Locuta Est translation: “Without going into details, the pope has announced against Burke “some steps of an economic nature, accompanied by canonical penalties,” according to a high prelate present at the meeting, referring to the apartment and stipend.”

If the high prelate cited here is providing an accurate account, then in addition to the loss of the stipend and apartment, it appears this step will be “accompanied by canonical penalties.” That is, as I read it at least, there are two categories of penalties.  First are of an “economic nature,” i.e., the stipend and apartment.  What then are the “canonical penalties” that “accompany” that?  So, it seems there is a second category of “canonical penalties” which are hinted at here, but remain unspecified.

However, given the obvious animus of Pope Francis towards Catholics of a conservative mind, I do wonder if he intends to give Cardinal Burke the “Becciu treatment.”  That is, stripping him of other privileges of the cardinalate, including the right to participate in conclaves; potentially leaving Burke a Cardinal in name only (see HERE, HERE, HERE).  

If Pope Francis does go that route, then Catholic orthodoxy would lose an important voice and vote in the next conclave, but also an influential voice in the Congregations before the conclave where Cardinals meet, speak, and exchange views on what the Church needs in the next pope.  If Francis takes this path, then Burke’s supposed ‘crime’ of ‘disunity’ is really only a pretext to exclude his voice from the conclave discussions about his successor. 

Still, we will have to wait and see if there are other “canonical penalties” beyond the already announced loss of stipend and apartment. In either case, one may rightfully wonder if Pope Francis will take similar steps against other Cardinals who have spoken out in one way or another against many of his acts, such as the “Synod on Synodality,” Amoris Laetitia, etc.

Given Pope Francis is operating on flimsy grounds, he certainly could have found a pretext to move against Cardinal Burke years ago.  The fact he is only doing so now suggests he believes himself in a stronger position to act against Burke, and or that his time is short — so it is now or never.  In either case, we can probably expect similar actions to those taken against Bishop Strickland, and Cardinal Burke to be repeated against other bishops and cardinals who have expressed concerns about the Francis pontificate. Let us pray that is not the case — but that appears to be where we are heading. If Pope Francis is going to accuse Burke of “disunity” because he stood up for Catholic orthodoxy, then surely there is no restraint on him now on going after others for defending orthodoxy.

Certainly, if nothing else, Pope Francis must hope the actions taken against Cardinal Burke will have a quieting effect on the likes of Cardinal Muller, Cardinal Sarah, Cardinal Brandmuller, etc.  But if that doesn’t happen, will he then proceed to similar or even more draconian measures against them, and Cardinal Burke, i.e., stripping them of the right to vote in a conclave?

So, in the final analysis, the next conclave may be what this is really all about. In other words, Pope Francis beginning to rig the next conclave to the extent he can — by removing influential orthodox Catholic voices from the selection process for the next pope, to better improve the odds that a pope to his liking will be his successor, i.e., a Francis II — theologically, politically, etc. 

Separately, I have detailed some of my thoughts on what else Pope Francis might try in terms of changing conclave rules in past articles (see A Francis Resignation? Not likely, but… and The Next Conclave: A Nightmare Scenario).

Steven O’Reilly is a graduate of the University of Dallas and the Georgia Institute of Technology. A former intelligence officer, he and his wife, Margaret, live near Atlanta. He has written apologetic articles, and is author of Book I of the Pia Fidelis trilogy, The Two Kingdoms; and of Valid? The Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. (Follow on twitter at @fidelispia for updates). He asks for your prayers for his intentions.  He can be contacted at StevenOReilly@AOL.com  or StevenOReilly@ProtonMail.com (or follow on Twitter: @S_OReilly_USA or on GETTR, TruthSocial, or Gab: @StevenOReilly).