Pope Francis told the prefects of Vatican dicasteries that he saw no reason for the Vatican to continue giving U.S. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke a monthly salary, and questioned why the Vatican should be providing him with a free apartment in Rome, various sources have confirmed.
“He didn’t see why he should continue to subsidise Burke attacking him and the church,” and the pope thought “he seemed to have plenty of money from America,” a person who spoke to Pope Francis later told Catholic News Service.
Riccardo Cascioli, director of the Italian Catholic publication La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana, reported on 27th November that Pope Francis announced the provisions regarding Cardinal Burke during a meeting on 20th November with the heads of the offices of the Roman Curia. Cascioli said the pope referred to the cardinal as “my enemy.”
Austen Ivereigh said he wrote to Pope Francis about the “enemy” remark and the pope replied on 28th November: “I never used the word ‘enemy’ nor the pronoun ‘my.’ I simply announced the fact at the meeting of the dicastery heads, without giving specific explanations.”
He also authorised Ivereigh to share his comment. A source who spoke to CNS said his understanding was that Pope Francis was not planning to evict Cardinal Burke from his Vatican-owned apartment but that he did plan to ask the cardinal to start paying rent.
Picture: CNS photo/Lola Gomez