Cardinal Suenens says bishops should wield more influence

CARDINAL SUENENS, who was entrusted with the orientation of charismatic renewal by Pope Paul VI, said in London this week that he thought more power should be given to the Council of the World Synod of Bishops. which includes Cardinal Hume.
The council has three European members — Cardinal Ratzinger of Munich, Bishop Danneels of Malines, the successor to Cardinal Suenens who visited Archbishop Runcie at the weekend, and Cardinal Hume.
Cardinal Suenens saw charismatic renewal as continuing the work of Vatican II. The Synod of bishops was one of the organs of corresponsibility set up after the Council. "I believe the Synod of Bishops should be better organised, with more power for the committee which carries its work between one Synod and the next three years later." He thought the 15 members of the Synod council. including Cardinal Hume, could be more influential in implementing collegiality. They should have more direct power of intervention in the affairs of the Church, the Cardinal said.
Cardinal Hume has been in Rome all week for a routine meeting of the Council of the International Synod of World bishops.
Mgr George Leonard, who is accompanying the cardinal. dismissed speculation that one of the main purposes of the visit wa.s to secure a firm date for the Pope's visit to Britain next year. "We are hoping that we might be able to say more after the bishops' Low Week meeting at the end of April, but it all depends on Rome," he said. No arrangements had been made for the cardinal to have a personal audience with the Pope, he added.