Francis visiting, not just yet

A short statement from the bishops today: Pope Francis will not be visiting the Netherlands quite yet. After Bishop Jos Punt spoke about the Holy Father being interested when presented with the idea, there was quite some speculation about the feasibility and even desirability of a papal visit to this most secularised bit of Europe, and December’s ad limina visit only raised the enthusiasm, even among the other bishops.

But the Pope’s agenda and priorities don’t allow for such a visit just yet, the bishops said today. They had discussed the plans in their plenary meeting of this month, and this discussion had even already involved the Pope himself, so the statement says. Pope Francis remains as welcome as ever, the bishops assured.

In 2015 it will be 30 years since we last had a Pope visiting, in a very charged and tense atmosphere, which even led to Cardinal Simonis having police protection for the duration… Times have changed, and while such measures should not be required, a papal visit to the Netherlands will surely be something, in both a positive and a negative way. If it happens in the foreseeable future, we had better brace ourselves for quite the ride.

No surprise for Archbishop Léonard

Although he had indicated earlier that the archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels is usually made a cardinal, Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard is not surprised that he is not on the list announced yesterday. On his behalf his spokesman said:

“He will be 75 in 16 months, and then he will have to offer his resignation as archbishop. That is why he thinks it is better that the title, should it be given to the archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, would go to his successor.”

Many had assumed that the archbishop would be a cardinal in the upcoming consistory. But in not selecting him, Pope Francis is not denouncing the archbishop or his actions. Rather, the Pope chose to select new cardinals fro the peripheries of the world: more from South America, Afica and Asia, less from Europe. In essence, there was simply no room on the list for a new Belgian cardinal.

Coveting the red is something that goes against the very nature of Archbishop Léonard. I am not surprised that he isn’t, as he prefers simple means of conduct and personality, and the cardinal’s hat is not something to strive for, but to accept in humble gratitude and determination to justify the choice.

On 6 May 2015, Archbishop Léonard will be 75, after only five years and four months in the see of Mechelen-Brussels. Of course, he can still be made a cardinal at any point between not and his 80th birthday, or even after that, but the fact remains that we are in the final years of Archbishop Léonard’s tenure. A sad realisation.