During a briefing held on Wednesday, April 25, in the Holy See Press Office, the Vatican spokesman informed journalists about the 24th Session of the “Council of Cardinals,” often called the “C9,” which began Monday in the Vatican. The working sessions were dedicated to further considerations on several dicasteries of the Curia.

The Council of Cardinals consists of the following nine prelates: Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, president of the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State; Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa, archbishop emeritus of Santiago, Chile; Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay; Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich; Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, archbishop of Kinshasa, Congo; Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, archbishop of Boston; Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy (not present, in Australia); Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State.

According to the statement released by the Holy See Press Office, they dedicated much of the work to the re-reading of the draft of the new Apostolic Constitution of the Roman Curia. At the end of the drafting, which will take some time, the Cardinals will approve the text to be delivered to the Holy Father for further consultations and final approval.

Among the various topics that will form the new document, many of which have already been widely discussed in previous sessions of the Council of Cardinals, some of them are of particular importance, the Vatican spokesman stressed. These include: the Roman Curia at the service of the Holy Father and of the particular Churches; the pastoral character of the curial activities; the establishment and functioning of the Third Section of the Secretariat of State; the proclamation of the Gospel and the missionary spirit as a perspective that characterizes the activity of the whole Curia.

Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Greg Burke noted, updated the participants in the Council about the many efforts that are being made worldwide for the protection of children and vulnerable adults. The Archbishop of Boston had explained that during the recent Plenary Meeting, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors listened to the testimonies of the newly appointed members, coming from Brazil, Ethiopia, Australia and Italy. He also welcomed a group from the United Kingdom, the “Survivor Advisory Panel”.

Cardinal O’Malley also highlighted the widespread commitment and great competence of the Members of the Commission who represent very well the variety of the world’s cultures. He also reiterated the priority of having to start from the experience of people, continuing the work of listening to the victims and welcoming their experiences.

The Cardinals listened to Msgr. Lucio A. Ruiz, Secretary of the Communication Secretariat, who updated the Council on the current state of reform of the Vatican communications system.

This 24th Session of the Council of Cardinals marked the second council of 2018, and their next meeting is scheduled for June 11-13, 2018.