Women who have the Pope’s ear – Inside the Pope’s inner circle the C9

By Luca Attanasio

Pope Francis with participants of the meeting. Photo: Luca Attanasio

As is well known, on 28 September 2013 Pope Francis established, for the first time in the history of the Church, a body composed of 9 cardinals with the aim of assisting and advising the Pontiff himself in the governance of the Catholic Church and in the revision of the Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus regarding the structure of the Roman Curia. This revision merged into the new Constitution of reorganisation, the Praedicate Evangelium published in 2022. The Council of Cardinals, commonly known as the ‘C9’, held its first meeting on 1 October 2013, currently comprised of Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State; Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, President of the Pontifical Commission and of the Governorate of Vatican City State; Fridolin Ambongo Besungu Archbishop of Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo); Oswald Gracias Archbishop of Bombay (India); Sean Patrick O’Malley Archbishop of Boston (USA) and President of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors; Juan José Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona; Gerald Lacroix Archbishop of Quebec (Canada); Jean-Claude Hollerich Archbishop of Luxembourg; Sergio da Rocha Archbishop of San Salvador de Bahia (Brazil).