At 13.00 today, the director of the Holy See Press Office, Greg Burke, held a briefing on the nineteenth meeting of the Council of Cardinals with the Holy Father Francis.

The Council of Cardinals met with the Holy Father for three days: Monday 24, Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 April. All members of the Council were present.

Pope Francis was absent this morning due to the General Audience.

The working sessions took place in the morning from 9.00 to 12.30, and in the afternoon from 16.00 to 19.00, and were dedicated to further consideration on the various dicasteries of the Curia: in particular, discussion continued on the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (Propaganda Fide), and the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization.

The Cardinals also studied the texts to be proposed to the Holy Father regarding the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue; the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts; and three tribunals: the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura and the Tribunal of the Roman Rota.

The selection and formation of staff – lay and clerical – in the service of the Holy See was also studied by the Council during these days. Officials and superiors from the Secretariat of State, the Council for the Economy, and the Labour Office of the Apostolic See (ULSA) also participated.

The following were present on behalf of the Secretariat of State: His Excellency Msgr. Angelo Becciu, His Excellency Msgr. Paul Richard Gallagher and His Excellency Msgr. Jan Romeo Pawłowski. For the Council for the Economy, aside from Cardinal Reinhard Marx, there was an intervention by Professor Franco Vermiglio, member of the same Council. On behalf of ULSA, the speakers were His Excellency Msgr. Giorgio Corbellini and Mr. Salvatore Vecchio, attorney.

Another important theme considered by the Council of Cardinals was the relationship between the Episcopal Conferences and the Roman Curia.

Cardinal George Pell gave an update on the work of the Secretariat of the Economy, which he chairs, with special attention to budget monitoring for the current year.

Cardinal Sean O’Malley updated the Council on the work of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, with particular attention to programmes for global education, the last plenary session, and the visits to various dicasteries.

The next meeting of the Council of Cardinals will take place on 12, 13 and 14 June.