Fr Augusto Zampini Pope sets up commission to study women deacons
A new commission which will look into the possibility of having women deacons in the Church was instituted by Pope Francis last week.
The Holy See released an announcement in their daily noon bulletin which contained the information that the Pope had decided to create a new commission following an audience with Cardinal Luis Ladaria.
The Papal and Prefect of the Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Ladaria, said the commission would be made up of 12 international representatives.
Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi, Archbishop of Aquila, will be commission president with Rev. Denis Dupont-Fauville as secretary.
Prof. Catherine Brown Tkacz of Ukraine, Prof. Barbara Hallensleben of Switzerland and Prof. Anne-Marie Pelletier of France are among its 10 members.
A previous commission had been composed in August 2016, shortly after the International Union of Superiors General had asked the Pope to think about it in an audience they had with him in May 2016.
The research that was handed in by that particular commission, however, was deemed inconclusive by the Holy Father.
Fr Zampini named adjunct secretary for the Dicastery
Pope Francis has designated Fr Augusto Zampini to the role of adjunct secretary in the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development.
The Argentine priest will be dedicated to the fields of economic and finance, labor and social moments, indigenous populations and peace.
In his position, the 50-year-old will be a close collaborator to the Dicastery’s Prefect Cardinal Peter Turkson.
“I’m thinking of my responsibilities now, and what will come afterwards,” said Pope Francis of the appointment made last week.
“What will be my service as Bishop of Rome, as Head of the Church, in the aftermath? That aftermath has already begun to be revealed as tragic and painful, which is why we must be thinking about it now.
He added: “The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development has been working on this, and meeting with me.”
Vatican thanks China for providing aid
The Director of the Holy See Press Office has expressed his gratitude for the aid received from China to help tackle the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
Matteo Bruni wrote in a statement last week that through the “Red Cross Society and the Hebei Jinde Foundation” donations of health supplies arrived at the Vatican Pharmacy.
This gesture, according to Bruni, is an “an expression of the solidarity of the Chinese people and the Catholic communities” towards those involved in the prevention of the ongoing crisis and the relief of those who have been affected.
“The Holy See appreciates the generous gesture and expresses its gratitude to the Bishops, the Catholic faithful, the institutions and all the other Chinese citizens for this humanitarian initiative,” he said.
Part of the aid received was sent through the Vatican Pharmacy to the Department of Health and Hygiene of the Diocese of Rome.
The rest of the aid, with large quantities of the same equipment, was sent to the diocese of Macerata, the Agostino Gemelli polyclinic and the National Alpine Association’s field hospital.