UPDATE: Pope Francis directly confirms removal of apartment and salary from Cardinal Burke. See this article by Austen Ivereigh at WherePeterIs.com.

Also, according to Massimo Franco: “Last week, Pope Francis made it clear to the heads of the Vatican ministries that the war unleashed against him by the US conservative front will have consequences: “measures of an economic nature and canonical penalties” are on the way for Cardinal Burke.”

The mention of canonical penalties seems to take the actions against Burke further than privation of his salary and apartment.

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There is a story reported in the Associated Press, which has not been confirmed by any named source, nor by anything publicly stated by the Apostolic See. So be advised that this alleged proposed action against Burke has not happened yet, as far as we know: Pope punishes leading critic Cardinal Burke in second action against conservative American prelates.

AP reported: “Francis told a meeting of the heads of Vatican offices last week that he was moving against Burke because he was a source of “disunity” in the church, said one of the participants at the Nov. 20 meeting…. Francis said he was removing Burke’s privileges of having a subsidized Vatican apartment and salary as a retired cardinal because he was using the privileges against the church, said another person who was subsequently briefed on the pope’s measures.”

Such an action by Pope Francis is plausible. The holy Pontiff recently removed Bishop Strickland from his See. Strikland was not excommunicated, nor laicized, but only dismissed from his position as the local ordinary of his now-former diocese. Cardinal Burke is one of the more outspoken opponents of Pope Francis. Burke has perhaps said and done more than Strickland to undermine and oppose the words and decisions of Pope Francis.

It is believable that the Pope may have called Burke a source of “disunity” in the Church, and also believable that the Pope would take away his “subsidized Vatican apartment and salary.” Those words and actions are relatively limited, and are in line with past measured actions the Pope has taken against other prelates.

What is not believable is the claim made in a publication called “the New Daily Compass” (NDC). The quote attributed to the Pope there is as follows: “Cardinal Burke is my enemy, so I am taking away his flat and salary”. The Roman Pontiff does not call anyone his “enemy”, nor does Pope Francis speak in that manner; it does not sound like the way that the Pope would word a sentence, even if he were asserting that he would deprive Burke of his apartment and salary. Also, I doubt that a Pope from Argentina, living in Rome, would call a Vatican apartment a “flat”. The wording is not believable.

However, the Associated Press story may well be true. And I personally feel that it is useful to the spiritual health of the Church for the Roman Pontiff to take some type of mild to moderate action against prominent opponents of the Pope, especially Cardinals and Bishops. And without doubt, both of those prelates have opposed the Roman Pontiff and undermined his credibility with his flock. A Bishop has a particular flock; so does a priest. But only the Roman Pontiff has charge of the entire flock of the Church worldwide. A Bishop or Cardinal does not have the right or authority to oppose the Roman Pontiff, as if one or a few Bishops could be right, while the Pope with the support of the Bishops as a body would be wrong. Even non-infallible decisions of the Pope have the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and protection from grave error. And this is all the more apparent when the body of Bishops continuously supports a Pope for over 10 years now.

Presently, some conservative Catholics are defending Strickland and Burke. But across more than ten years of Francis’ pontificate, it has become clear that certain groups and individuals will take the side of any prominent conservative Catholic, as they have a bias in favor of conservatives and against liberals, including the liberal Pope Francis. But even if a person considers an action by the Pope against a Bishop or Cardinal, and sincerely disagrees, the Roman Pontiff has the authority. He has the authority to bind or loose, as he exercises the Keys of Saint Peter.

They say “Paul corrected Peter”. Yes, he did. But Paul did not continuously oppose Peter, nor refuse to accept his teachings and authority. The Pope is the highest authority in the Church on earth, and so the First See is judged by no one but God. A Bishop or Cardinal might offer a theological argument for a position different from that of the Roman Pontiff. But the type of continuous opposition and repeated pervasive severe criticisms and even condemnations of the decisions of Pope Francis on doctrine and discipline is beyond the proper role of any prelate or other persons in the Church.

Those who reject the Papal Magisterium grasp at straws seeking its replacement.

Ronald L Conte Jr