Vatican seeks to quell talk of letter to pope on family

VATICAN CITY (AP) – Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi has denounced the leak of a private letter written to Pope Francis by conservative cardinals complaining about the way his big family meeting is being run. But he reminded those responsible that the meeting procedures are set and they’re duty-bound to stick with them.

An Italian journalist published the letter Monday and named 13 cardinals who purportedly signed it. Four of those said they never signed it.

But the Vatican’s finance manager, Cardinal George Pell, effectively confirmed he was behind the initiative to bring complaints straight to the pope about a perceived lack of openness in the synod that they felt would create “predetermined results.” New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan confirmed that he had signed it.

The letter warned that if the synod muddies church teaching about marriage, the Catholic Church risks going the way of “liberal” Protestant churches which, according to the letter, have collapsed because they abandoned “key elements of Christian belief and practice in the name of pastoral adaptation.”