Rome ( CNN ) -- Pope Francis has appointed a group of eight cardinals from around the world to look into ways of reforming the Catholic Church , the Vatican said Saturday . The group , which includes U.S. Cardinal Sean O'Malley from Boston , will examine ways to revise the Vatican constitution , Pastor Bonus , which sets the rules for running the Roman Curia , or church hierarchy . The cardinals -- who come from North America , Latin America , Africa , Asia and Europe -- will first meet in October , the Vatican said . The move follows on from suggestions made during the General Congregations , a series of meetings that brought together all the cardinals last month before they elected Francis as pope , the Vatican said . The other seven cardinals are : Giuseppe Bertello , president of the Vatican City State governorate ; Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa from Chile ; Oswald Gracias from India ; Reinhard Marx from Germany ; Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya from the Democratic Republic of the Congo ; George Pell from Australia ; and Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga from Honduras . An Italian bishop , Monsignor Marcello Semeraro , will act as secretary for the group . Pope Francis has already been in touch with the chosen cardinals , the Vatican said . The Catholic Church has faced calls for reform in the wake of scandals involving the sexual abuse of children by priests and allegations of corruption . The Rev . Thomas Rosica , issuing guidance on behalf of the Vatican , said the group of cardinals was just that -- `` not a commission , committee or council . '' It `` has no legislative power and its main function is to 'advise ' the pope , '' he said . `` The group will not in any way interfere in the normal functions of the Roman Curia , which helps the Pope in the daily governance of the Church . '' The group 's formation , exactly a month after Francis was elected , shows that the pope `` listens attentively '' to what the cardinals say , Rosica said . The document the cardinals are studying is the Apostolic Constitution of Pope John Paul II , known as the Pastor Bonus , which was published in 1988 . CNN Vatican analyst John Allen , who 's also a correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter , wrote that the news was `` a signal that major reform may be on the horizon . '' `` Strikingly , there was only one member of the Roman Curia among the eight cardinals tapped to assist the pope . The rest come from various parts of the world , with at least one representing each continent , '' he said . The group will be coordinated by Rodriguez , from Tegucigalpa , who speaks several languages and was himself seen as possible contender for the papacy . In Honduras , `` Rodriguez has long led the pack in terms of moral authority and social influence , '' Allen wrote in a profile ahead of the papal election , or conclave . CNN 's Hada Messia reported from Rome and Laura Smith-Spark wrote in London . Eric Marrapodi contributed to this report .
Pope Francis asks eight cardinals to look at ways to reform the Catholic Church . Vatican : The move follows suggestions made when cardinals met last month . The group includes U.S. Cardinal Sean O'Malley from Boston . The cardinals will hold their first meeting in October , the Vatican said .