Pope Leo XIV Receives Cardinal Sarah in Private Audience

Details of the meeting remain private but in a recent interview the cardinal said he was looking with “great confidence” to Leo XIV’s pontificate, wanted 'Fiducia Supplicans' "to be forgotten."

Cardinal Robert Sarah (photo: Courtesy Photo)

Pope Leo XIV received Cardinal Robert Sarah in private audience Monday, the first time the two men have formally met since Leo was elected Pope in May.

The content of their discussion was not made public, as is “usually” the case with these kinds of audiences, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told the Register.

In a recent interview, the Vatican’s former chief liturgist said he was looking with “great confidence” to Leo XIV’s pontificate, adding that he believed the Holy Father was “bringing back the indispensable centrality of Christ.”

The Guinean cardinal told the Italian bishops’ conference newspaper Avvenire on Sept. 12 that he welcomed Leo’s “evangelical awareness” and how he is communicating that without the Lord, “we can do nothing, neither build peace, nor build the Church, nor save souls.”

He also praised the Pope’s “spirit of listening and dialogue” and his “prudent consideration of Tradition.” Only with a living Tradition that allows for the transmission of Divine Revelation could the Church exist, the cardinal said, adding that this is “all in perfect continuity with the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.”

Cardinal Sarah, 80, insisted that, regardless of the authentic Catholic rite they belong to, “all the baptized have citizenship” if they share the creed. He said the centuries-long diversity of rites in the Church has never created problems for the authorities because the unity of the faith was clear and recognized as being a “great treasure.”

“I wonder if a ritual that is over a thousand years old can be ‘banned,’” he asked, implicitly referring to Traditionis Custodes, Pope Francis’ 2021 motu proprio that resulted in sweeping restrictions on the traditional Roman rite. “If liturgy is also a source for theology, how can access to ‘ancient sources’ be prohibited? It would be like prohibiting the study of St. Augustine to those who want to reflect correctly on grace or the Trinity,” he said…read the rest of the article at www.NCREGISTER.com