Eight cardinals from around the globe begin closed-door talks with Pope Francis on October 1 to help him map out reforms in the worldwide 1.2 billion-member Catholic Church.
The main task of the cardinals would be to propose changes to the Vatican administration, which has been riven by scandals for years and is widely seen as too bureaucratic. Francis himself, who has brought a new style of openness to the papacy, recently told Vatican officials to be more pastors than bureaucrats.
Francis announced the creation of the advisory board of cardinals a month after his election earlier this year as the first non-European pope in 1,300 years and the first from Latin America.
His talks with the cardinals this week are expected to last three days, but no immediate results are expected.
The main task of the cardinals would be to propose changes to the Vatican administration, which has been riven by scandals for years and is widely seen as too bureaucratic. Francis himself, who has brought a new style of openness to the papacy, recently told Vatican officials to be more pastors than bureaucrats.
Francis announced the creation of the advisory board of cardinals a month after his election earlier this year as the first non-European pope in 1,300 years and the first from Latin America.
His talks with the cardinals this week are expected to last three days, but no immediate results are expected.