Cardinal Who Lost Free Vatican Home Has 4-Word Message on Meeting With Pope

Raymond Burke, a conservative American cardinal and one of Pope Francis' staunchest critics, had a pithy response when asked how his meeting on Friday with the pontiff went: "Well, I'm still alive."

Burke commented to Reuters outside his residence in Rome, a little over one month after the pope revoked his right to a subsidized Vatican apartment and salary. The threat of eviction against Burke, a retired cardinal, was due to promoting "disunity" in the church, as initially reported by one source to the Associated Press. Another source said that Francis believed Burke's privileges were being used against the church.

It was reportedly the 75-year-old cardinal's first private visit with the pope since November 10, 2016. Both the Vatican and Burke declined to add any additional details to the meeting and the subject matter discussed, and Burke would not comment on the situation regarding his apartment.

Newsweek reached out to the Vatican via email for comment.

When reports spread of the pope's intentions to revoke Burke's apartment and salary, he received criticism from others within the church.

Who are the cardinals removed from their posts?

One of Burke's defenders was Bishop Joseph Strickland, of the pastoral governance of Tyler, Texas, who was "removed" by Francis after refusing to step down following a Vatican investigation into the governance of his diocese.

Strickland, who described the pope's actions against Burke as "an atrocity that must be opposed," garnered plenty of support in his speaking out—notably from conservatives, some of which have referred to Francis' papacy as "tyrannical" and him as a "dictator."

Prior to the 2020 presidential election, Burke made headlines when he suggested that Joe Biden—who ultimately became the second Catholic ever to become president—was not "in good standing" with the church due to his abortion views, and thus didn't deserve to receive holy communion.

The cardinal became a popular conservative figure during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to his skepticism towards the coronavirus vaccine and government overreach.

In May 2020, he claimed that some want to use vaccines to implant microchips in people. Instead, he advised that Jesus Christ was the best way to avoid contracting the virus.

But the cardinal who claimed fear was being used to manipulate the masses was hospitalized in August 2021 with COVID-19, causing him to be on a ventilator.

While Pope Francis has become a lightning rod for conservative Catholics, such as for views more open towards the LGBTQ+ community compared to any other pope before him, he has also gained supporters.

The blessing of same-sex unions was discussed during a synod in Rome in October, in addition to subjects like priestly celibacy, married priests, the ordination of female deacons, and extending sacraments to divorced people.

"Generally, this is truly a great advance," Francis DeBernardo, executive director of the Catholic outreach New Ways Ministry, previously told Newsweek from that synod. "For a pope to express openness, even a little openness to blessing same-gender couples, is something I never thought I'd see in my lifetime.

"I think it's a very hopeful step. It's not the step we would have liked to see, which was more open and stronger support for blessings. But with his statements, blessings are going to go forward."