VATICAN CITYPope Francis reaffirms call for LCWR reformPope Francis reaffirmed the Vatican's call for reform of the U.S.-based Leadership Conference of Women Religious.

Archbishop Gerhard Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, told the U.S.-based nuns' group that he had recently discussed the doctrinal assessment with Pope Francis, who reaffirmed the findings of the assessment and the program of reform for this conference of major superiors. The doctrinal congregation met April 15 with the LCWR leadership and Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain, who had been assigned by the Vatican to oversee the reform of the pontifically recognized leadership group. LCWR is a Maryland-based umbrella group that claims about 1,500 leaders of U.S. women's communities as members, representing about 80 percent of the country's 57,000 women religious.

The Vatican Secretariat of State announced April 13 that the pope had established the group — which includes Boston Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley — to advise him in the government of the universal church and to study a plan for revising the apostolic constitution on the Roman Curia, 'Pastor Bonus.'

Pastor Bonus, published in 1988, was the last major set of changes in the Roman Curia, the church's central administration at the Vatican.

Complaints about the shortcomings of Vatican governance increased markedly during 2012 following the VatiLeaks of confidential correspondence providing evidence of corruption and mismanagement in various offices of the Holy See and Vatican City State.

The College of Cardinals extensively discussed the problems in meetings preceding the conclave that elected Pope Francis last month. According to the April 13 Vatican statement, the suggestion for an advisory panel on reform arose during those meetings.

The eight cardinals named to reorganize the Roman Curia are predominantly active archbishops of very large archdioceses. In addition to Cardinal O’Malley, 68, the group includes: Italian Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, 70, head of the commission governing Vatican City State and the only Vatican official in the group; Australian Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, 71; Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, 68; Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa, 70; Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kinshasa, Congo, 73; German Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising, 59; and retired archbishop of Santiago, Chile Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa, 79.VATICAN CITYNazareth family center construction to begin Blessed John Paul II approved the idea of building the International Center for the Family in Nazareth, Israel, in 2000, and Pope Benedict XVI blessed a cornerstone for the building when he visited Nazareth in 2009.

Construction is expected to begin soon on the large guesthouse for families on pilgrimage to the Holy Land and an international center dedicated to promoting Catholic teaching on the family. Organizers said the delay resulted from difficulties in reaching agreements with church, civil and political authorities in Israel.

In October, Pope Benedict formally approved the establishment of the International Family Center of Nazareth Foundation under the auspices of the Pontifical Council for the Family. Salvatore Martinez, president of the Catholic charismatic movement in Italy, was named president of the foundation, and the movement has been entrusted with the daily operation of the center.

Martinez told reporters he expected construction would be completed in late 2015 or early 2016. The facility will include a community residence for the staff, 100 rooms and a restaurant designed to host families on pilgrimage, a 500-seat church, a playground, a large auditorium, diocesan offices and meeting rooms.VATICAN CITYSeminary breaks ground for expansion The Pontifical North American College, the seminary sponsored by the U.S. bishops, officially embarked April 12 on a $7 million project to build a 10-story, 36,000-square-foot tower to house high-tech classrooms, practice chapels where students will learn to preach and celebrate the sacraments, administrative offices and more.

James and Miriam Mulva of Bartlesville, Okla., made an $8.5 million gift to the seminary to fund the new building, technology updates throughout the existing facility and other improvements.

Catholic News Service - April 25, 2013