When the Council of Cardinals was created in 2013, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Honduras was named as the group’s chairman (the official term was “coordinator”). He continued in that role until March of last year, when having passed his 80th birthday he retired. Nearly a year later, he has been replaced as coordinator by… nobody.
In itself this is no big deal. When the Council meets with the Pope in attendance, there is no question about who takes precedence. If the Pope is absent,