The month of July saw the appointment of the new Prefect for the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Víctor Manuel Fernández. The Argentinean, a close collaborator of Pope Francis, was the one who helped write a key document of his pontificate, Evangelii gaudium.
During this month, the Pope usually reduces his agenda of official and public events to a minimum. But that did not stop him from receiving some visits such as the family of the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange and Bill Clinton.
His public appearances were limited to the Angelus, where he made some particular appeals.
POPE FRANCIS
But who is the prophet? There are those who imagine him as a kind of magician who predicts the future. But this is a superstitious idea, and Christians do not believe in superstitions, like magic, tarot cards, horoscopes or the like. By the way, many, many Christians go to have their palms read. Please!
On July 7, the Vatican published the list of participants in the Synod of Synodality. For the first time in history, lay people and women would vote. A few days later, Pope Francis announced a Consistory for the creation of 21 new cardinals, 18 of them electors.
POPE FRANCIS
Now, I would like to announce that on September 30, I will hold a Consistory for the appointment of new Cardinals. Their origins express the universality of the Church, which continues to proclaim God's merciful love to all people on earth.
Meanwhile, the trial of Cardinal Angelo Becciu continued. The Vatican Promoter of Justice, Alessandro Diddi, requested a sentence of 7 years and 3 months in prison for Becciu, making him the first ever Cardinal to be sentenced to jail by the Vatican City State's own justice system.
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