The Pope is preparing the replacement of several senior officials in the Vatican Curia

According to the so-called “Regulations of the Curia”, Cardinal Prefects of Vatican dicasteries, a position equivalent to a minister in a civil government, must submit their resignation from office as soon as they turn 75 years of age. From that moment, the Pope can accept it, so that he can immediately begin retirement, or extend the appointment. The law gives them the right to continue working till the maximum age of 80 years, and prevents them from holding any office after that age.

Four of the eighteen prefects of the Vatican dicasteries are already over 75, and two others will turn 75 in the next twelve months. The number increases if other relevant organizations associated with the Holy See are taken into account, such as the Council of Cardinals, the civil government of Vatican City State, the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher or the Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls.

Francis began taking action as early as April 6 when he appointed a new “Major Penitentiary”, a position until then held by Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, who will turn 80 in September. He surprisingly replaced him with 70-year-old Angelo De Donatis, until now the Cardinal Priest of Rome. He has stated that it will take some time before he appoints a new “Cardinal Priest” for the Eternal City.

If there are no surprises, the first major change will be in the C9, as it is called the Council of Cardinals, the group of nine cardinals who advise the Pope on the government of the Church. Two of its members will turn 80 in the coming months and will automatically lose all their posts.

The first is Archbishop Sean Patrick O’Malley of Boston (USA), who will celebrate his birthday on June 29. If applicable, he should also be replaced as President of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. The other Cardinal to reach the age limit is Archbishop Oswald Gracious of Mumbai (India), who will turn 80 on December 24.

Francis could choose to appoint cardinals from his regions in his place; Or to keep these positions vacant until the functions of its Cardinal Council are better defined and, therefore, the profile of its new members. Although they worked on the design of the Constitution until 2022 with which the Pope reorganized the Vatican Curia, they currently have no such clear mission.

Vatican’s new governor

In March next year, Spanish Cardinal Fernando Vergés will turn 80, having done an excellent job with impeccability and great discretion since 2021 as Governor of Vatican City State, a position equivalent to that of Prime Minister. Francis could have chosen to replace him with a woman, as there is no reason to require the Vatican governor to be a bishop or priest.

Indeed, when in his interview with ABC on December 18, 2022, he announced that he had identified a woman for a senior position “that will be vacant in two years”, many considered her to be the current right-wing Sister. Interpreted as a reference to Raffaele Petrini. -Varguez’s hand.

Apart from the Governor and the two Cardinals of C9, the decision on the rest of the “retirements” depends directly on the Pope and the position of the person directly concerned.

In this case, it is likely that Brazilian Cardinal Braz de Aviz, who just turned 77, will be replaced in the coming months. In 2011, Benedict XVI placed the department overseeing religious orders and congregations in his hands, and Pope Francis renewed it in January 2016 “until otherwise determined”. Over the years, he has succeeded in getting congregants to perceive his department as a partner, not a watchdog. Among the names being considered to take over his post is the Rector Major of the Salesians, Spanish Cardinal Angel Fernandez Artim. Francisco had already told him that he was trusting him to a specific position starting on July 31 this year, so the Salesians are preparing the election of a new superior.

In July, Jesuit Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Integral Human Development, will turn 78. However, he will remain in office, as the Pope appointed him, “until you turn 80” in 2022. Czerny is a fundamental actor in the most symbolic departments of the first years of Francis’s pontificate, for example, the encyclical Laudato Si, paying attention to indigenous communities or raising awareness for the victims of the migrant crisis.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell will also remain prefect, although he will turn 77 on September 2. He is in charge of a super-dicastery that deals with issues related to the laity, family and life. He will not be able to retire as his tenure has already been extended till August 15, 2026.

He is also a Cardinal “Camerlengo”, a position that applies during “vacancy” and which makes him responsible for ensuring the material interests of the Holy See. He will also preside over the Vatican City State Court of Cassation, which is responsible for prosecuting cardinals for criminal offenses, among other things, until January 1, 2027.

In October, American Cardinal James Harvey, who was Prefect of the Papal Household to John Paul II and Benedict XVI for fourteen years, and who has been Archpriest of St Paul’s Basilica outside the Walls since 2013, will be able to step down and retire. Its future is linked to Rome because in the event of a conclave it is the Cardinal “Habemus Papum” who is in charge of announcing the identity of the Pontiff elected by the Cardinals from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. However, this does not mean that with the 2025 jubilee in mind, the Pope has decided to replace him with another cardinal.

In December, the five-year mandate received by the Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher, Cardinal Fernando Filoni, expires. This can be increased, as it is a delicate situation in the current situation in the Middle East. Filoni coordinates this organization present in several countries, which raises awareness among Catholics about the difficult situation of Christian minorities in the Holy Land and raises funds so that they are not forced to flee there. The cardinal, who just turned 78, was ambassador to Baghdad and number three at the Vatican.

That same month, Cardinal Marcelo Semeraro will turn 77, but he will remain in office as Prefect of the Dicastery, responsible for studying the causes of canonization, until at least October 15, 2025, when the five years of his term expire. It is unlikely that the Pope would intend to replace him in the first place. British Cardinal Arthur Roche, who turns 75 in March, may find himself in a similar situation. Since he was appointed for a five-year term on May 18, 2021, he will remain Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship until at least 2026, and is likely to remain for a few more years.

The longest-serving Cardinal in the Vatican Curia is Swiss Kurt Koch, who is responsible for relations with other Christian denominations. Koch, who was appointed prefect by Benedict XVI in July 2010, will turn 75 in March next year and his post will end four months later, on July 1, 2025.

Although he is not from the Vatican Curia, Cardinal Peter Turkson, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences, has also passed retirement age. He will turn 76 in October, but his term technically does not end until April 2027.

The average age of the heads of the Vatican Curia is 69 and a half years. This means that the Pope values ​​the experience of candidates and entrusts dicasteries to older clergy.

With retirements and replacements, Francisco would revive his “Squadra” a bit. A little, “Ma non troppo.”