Pope sees expanded role for cardinals

VATICAN CITY -- Giving each of his new cardinals a gold ring that symbolizes their bond to the papacy, Pope Benedict XVI yesterday used an ancient ritual to reinforce a modern point: He intends to rely ever more heavily on cardinals for advice.

The new pope, who in a few weeks will mark the first anniversary of his pontificate, has demonstrated, in words and in action, that he foresees a different, expanded role for the college of cardinals than was obvious under the papacy of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.

Last Thursday, the day before the consistory at which Benedict elevated Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley of Boston and 14 others to cardinal, the pope invited all 193 cardinals and cardinals-designate to discuss the Catholic Church's posture toward Islam, whether Rome should reconcile with a schismatic group of traditionalists, which role retired bishops should play in the church, and liturgical reform.

Benedict has made it clear he wants the college of cardinals to function, as he said on Feb. 22, as ''a sort of Senate around the pope, upon which he relies in carrying out the duties associated with his ministry." He repeated that point on Friday, saying of the college of cardinals, ''Its ancient roots, its historical development, and its composition today make it truly a kind of 'Senate,' called to cooperate closely with the Successor of Peter in accomplishing the tasks connected with his universal apostolic ministry."

On Friday, Benedict repeatedly used the phrase, ''I am counting on you," as he bestowed red hats on the 15 men he had chosen as his first crop of cardinals. Many of his choices for cardinals were expected because of the importance of the office or the diocese headed by the bishop chosen for elevation, but others appeared to reflect some of the issues facing the global church, which claims 1 billion adherents. The choice of cardinals from the Philippines, Korea, and Hong Kong suggests the importance that Benedict places on Asia, while the choice of O'Malley appears to reflect an encouragement of the Boston archbishop's efforts to heal the scandal-torn archdiocese.

''I am counting on you, dear brother cardinals, to ensure that the principle of love will spread far and wide, and will give new life to the church at every level of her hierarchy, in every group of the faithful, in every religious institute, in every spiritual, apostolic, or humanitarian initiative," Benedict said Friday. ''I am counting on you to see to it that our common endeavor to fix our gaze on Christ's open heart will hasten and secure our path towards the full unity of Christians. I am counting on you to see to it that the church's solicitude for the poor and needy challenges the world with a powerful statement on the civilization of love."

The expanded reliance on cardinals probably will have implications for O'Malley, who has said he hopes his new duties will not take too much time away from Boston, where he faces an ongoing financial crisis, a large number of disenfranchised Catholics and demoralized priests, and lingering challenges stemming from the clergy abuse crisis and the parish closings controversy. Benedict, observers say, is likely to look increasingly to cardinals like O'Malley to participate in the broader debates affecting the global church.

''O'Malley becomes more of a Vatican insider -- he becomes part of the pope's cabinet in a way," said the Rev. Keith F. Pecklers, a professor of theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. ''He now becomes one of the pope's closest advisors, which is why they serve on all these Vatican commissions. The origins are that they were the Roman clergy, and they were the advisors to the bishop of Rome."

O'Malley said yesterday he senses the pope's reliance on cardinals.

''My impression is that he is going to use the college of cardinals because on Thursday the dialogue wasn't just pro forma, he wanted to know what people's opinions were, and he reacted to them, and today even, after the lunch he didn't disappear, he stayed there for a good 45 minutes just talking to the cardinals," O'Malley said. ''He keeps referring to us as his senate, and perhaps he will use the college of cardinals more than just as electors, or legates for different missions that he sends us on."

Benedict's intention to expand the role of cardinals was shaped by the period after the death of John Paul II, when Benedict -- then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger -- presided over a daily meeting of all cardinals to discuss issues confronting the church.

''During the interregnum, when the cardinals were meeting every day, a lot of them were complaining that they didn't know one another very well and didn't have an opportunity to get together, particularly the cardinals from the developing world who don't get to Rome very often and aren't part of the Roman club," said John L. Allen Jr., Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter and author of a biography of Benedict. ''What Benedict has said, informally, is that he wants to rely on the cardinals, and get them together on a more regular basis."

Allen said the issues discussed this week, such as the relationship with Islam and with the schismatic conservatives, are examples of the kinds of issues Benedict is prepared to discuss, and that it should be clear that many issues are not on the table.

''Benedict makes a sharp distinction between matters of faith and morals, where he'll be a bulldog, and everything else, where he really is committed to being consultative, and collegial, and listening hard," Allen said. ''There is not going to be any discussion of women's ordination or homosexuality or embryonic stem cell research because the magisterium has spoken, and he doesn't need consultation to reach his conclusion. But most of the work here is about applying doctrinal principles to concrete situations -- What do we do about the reconstruction in Iraq? Should nuncios play a different role? -- and on those kinds of things he is going to be strikingly collegial."

Allen said he believes the consultation is genuine, and that last week's discussion has influenced the pope in two ways. Some of the cardinals raised concerns -- thereby encouraging the pope to slow down -- about reconciliation with the schismatic group, called Lefebvrites, who are followers of the late Marcel Lefebvre, an ultraconservative archbishop who opposed Vatican II and was excommunicated.

On the other hand, Allen said, the cardinals encouraged Benedict to stay the course with his tough talk about the need for Muslim leaders to address issues of terrorism and religious freedom.

''This is a gentlemen's club, much more than the US Senate, but, within the confines of that club, these are for the most part very senior figures, who have spent a long time being in charge, and they are pretty smart and have strong opinions about things," Allen said. ''Most of them, particularly in a closed setting, are willing to put cards on the table. In a genteel fashion, they are willing to disagree."

Michael Paulson can be reached at mpaulson@globe.com.