Leo XIV held an intense round of audiences this Thursday, in which two meetings of special relevance for the internal life of the Church stood out: the one received with Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and the one held with Cardinal Raymundo Damasceno Assis, emeritus archbishop of Aparecida and key figure in the commissariat of the Heralds of the Gospel.
Fernández and the upcoming documents
Among the most significant names of the day is that of Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, head of the body responsible for safeguarding Catholic doctrine. His audience with Leo XIV takes place at a time marked by important pending dossiers in the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Although the Vatican does not detail the content of the conversation, the meeting gains prominence in the context of recent movements such as the delivery of the study group's report on women and the announcement of Francisco's missing documents.
Damasceno before Leo XIV: Will he accept his resignation from the commissariat?
The second key point of the bulletin is the audience granted to Cardinal Raymundo Damasceno Assis, accompanied by Mons. Antônio Luiz Catelan Ferreira, auxiliary bishop of Rio de Janeiro. Damasceno, who has been pontifical commissioner of the Heralds of the Gospel since 2019, recently presented his resignation from the position, a gesture that opened a period of institutional uncertainty within the movement. His meeting with Leo XIV is widely read as a central step in defining the future of the commissariat.
After Brambilla issued a refusal regarding Damasceno's resignation, the Pope might be personally evaluating whether to accept the resignation, extend it, or reorient the intervention on the association, after years of canonical supervision and internal tensions.
Audiences of the day
In addition to the meetings with Fernández and Damasceno, the Holy Father received:
- Mons. Giovanni d’Aniello, apostolic nuncio in Russia and Uzbekistan.
- Cardinal Mario Grech, general secretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod.
- Peter Pellegrini, president of the Slovak Republic, along with his delegation.
- Father Giuseppe Adobati Carrara, superior general of the Passionists.
- The ambassadors of France and Guatemala, Florence Mangin and Alfredo Vásquez Rivera, on farewell visits.
- The president of Mongolia, Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh, with his entourage.
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