The absence of Msgr. Pietro Parolin at the ceremony of his taking possession as Secretary of State was certainly not a good thing. Struck by gallstone (or appendicitis according to other sources), Msgr. Parolin had to undergo an urgent, albeit not grave, surgery operation. During the ceremony, Pope Francis, after thanking the outgoing Secretary of State Card. Bertone, coined for Parolin a peculiar description: Secretary of State

Prolonging the absence of a leader at the helm of the Secretariat of State also means pushing back the attention-seeking obsessive tendencies of Vatican officials and dicasteries, always ready to jump to center stage. At the same time, it seems that Pope Francis wants to go beyond the Roman Curia.

The Pope’s inability to bear a central government would come from his personal experience of marginalization. As a young head of the Province of the Company of Jesus, he was assigned to Germany (which he felt was like being exiled) to study for a PhD he never completed, and then called again to Argentina and assigned to teaching.

The decade of the 80s is a “vacuum” in Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s biography. In experiencing this exile and marginalization, he would have concluded that governments are merely power establishments,  and that reality is better grasped from the periphery.

This is how the assertive Jesuit became a bishop impatient with centralized management, one who takes upon himself all management responsibilities, because he thinks it is best to trust no one.

This exile, together with the experience of living the military dictatorship in Argentine, forged the character and the ideas of Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Perhaps he associates the Curia to the Province of the Company of Jesus which exiled him to Germany. As Pope, he paid homage to the late Jesuits General, Arrupe, by visiting his tomb at the “Casa Generalizia”, the Jesuits headquarters in Rome.

Yet Arrupe was one of the strongest “adversaries” of Bergoglio within the Jesuits, and some Jesuits have pointed out that, had Bergoglio not become Pope, he would have never gone to render honor to Arrupe’s tomb. This might have been the moment Bergoglio really internalized that he had become Pope.

Staying away from the Curia increasingly became “a must” for Jorge Mario Bergoglio (in fact he often did not attend the meetings of the Congregations he was a member of). Now, one of Pope Francis’ missions is to save the Roman Curia from itself. He does not want special events to take place at the Vatican. Not even the Curia’s traditional spiritual exercises of Lent will be held as usual in the Vatican’s Redemptoris Mater Chapel this year.  Instead, they will be held in Albano, Rome. The exercises will be lead by Fr. Angelo de Donatis, a simple priest.

As much as Francis wants to go beyond the Curia, someone will still be needed to run the Curia. Someone who, at the very least, can handle rumors and anxieties at the Secretariat of State. Pietro Parolin is someone who would probably take on this difficult task.

Parolin’s task will not be just about getting a new handle over diplomacy and downplaying general affairs. He must also, most importantly, give a direction to the government to the Holy See.

Pietro Parolin will not be a vice-Pope. Certainly, he will need to protect himself from pressures coming from all directions.  And he will also need to reign in those who vie for recognition and merits since the arrival of the new Pontificate.

A sign of the complete anarchy reigning within the Vatican Walls is the last small reform of Vatican Finances, regarding the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA). The reform was announced in a press release by the APSA, which the Holy See Press Office circulated in a bulletin different from its own bulletins.

The press release announced that APSA had started the “due diligence” process, hiring the Promontory Financial Group (already contracted by the IOR) for this purpose. Due diligence is the “evaluation of risks” in investments and loans, particularly with regards to the clients in a bank.

Yet, even if APSA is usually described as a sort of central bank, it is not a bank. When the evaluators of the Council of Europe Committee of MONEYVAL asked the Vatican about APSA’s activities, the Vatican explained that APSA has some accounts, but that its banking-type activity is minimal (they have only 23 accounts, 15 belonging to clerics and 8 to laymen) and that a process to close this banking-type activity started in 2001.

The APSA decision to announce the starting of the due diligence process is problematic: the APSA is not a bank, but is acting as one. So, there is an open question: what should the due diligence process be about? Are the Vatican dicasteries subject to due diligence on their activities?

The same issue arose when the Institute for Religious Works (known with the Italian acronym of IOR) issued its Annual Report, as banks usually do. The IOR is often described as the “Vatican bank” or the “so-called Vatican bank”, although the Vatican has always pointed out that –and explained why– the Institute is not bank. The report could confuse public opinion. If the IOR puts into practice everything requested from a bank, the debate about the nature of the Institute is somewhat “suffocated” from the beginning. Does this ambiguity help the Holy See’s mission?

Hardly, judging from the way the Holy See operates in the European and the international arenas.

The Holy See strategy was that of creating a customized financial model for the Vatican (where there are no banks or markets). One that would adhere to international standards while maintaining the Holy See’s “special kind” of sovereignty.

Neither the APSA nor the IOR seemed to be aware of this. They appear to want to act solo, without coordinating with the “central government” of the Church, in order to show the world that a path toward transparency has began. This behavior earns a lot of publicity to the IOR’s President, Von Freyberg, and elevates the image of the APSA (as well as the profile of external agencies, like Promontory, despite the fact Vatican officials are doing most of the work).

There is something worth noting about APSA. Cardinal Attilio Nicora had been for years president of this Vatican dicastery, until he had to resign, since he was also president of the Authority for Financial Information. Nicora’s conflict of interests (he was at the same time president of both a controller body and a controlled body) was the only issue underscored in the July 12 MONEYVAL report. But Nicora always kept control over the APSA, which he considers a creature of his. Most of the APSA moves are inspired by Nicora, anxious to take center stage once more.

In the meantime, “second tier officials” rose in importance within the Vatican, but it is hard to know on whose recommendation.

One of this second tier characters is Ilson de Jesus Montanari, an employee with a rank of second class secretary who has suddenly been catapulted to the number two position at the Congregation for Bishops. A Brazilian and young, Ilson is rumored to be a close friend of Msgr. Fabiàn Pedacchio Leaniz. Pedacchio is the Pope’s personal Secretary, but still serves as an official of the Congregation for Bishops, where he was sent by Bergoglio in 2007 (Pedacchio had been Bergoglio’s eyes on the Curia for several years).

It was Giovan Battista Ricca who introduced Ilson to Cardinal Bergoglio. Ricca, it seems, backed Ilson’s appointment. Ricca was the director of the House of Clergy in Via della Scrofa, where Ilson used to live and where Cardinal Bergoglio used to stay when he came to Rome.

Ricca was appointed by Pope Francis prelate of the IOR. As soon as the news of the appointment spread out, the vaticanista Sandro Magister published a leaked document about a homosexual scandal which involved Ricca when he worked in the Papal nunziature in Uruguay. The documents accused Ricca of being “the prelate of the gay lobby”, which is how Magister headlined his article. Was also Ilson part of a the gay lobby as Ricca was accused to be? Was he only part of the small circle of friends that rose around card. Bergoglio when he was cardinal? This kind of speculation is often rumored in Vatican corridors.

Finally, one of Pope Francis’ most recent appointments is food for thought. Fernando Vergez, Legionary of Christ, General Secretary of Vatican City State, will receive the title of bishop. Pope Francis (somewhat belatedly) announced this decision with a long and unusual letter to Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, President of the Vatican City State government.

In the letter, Pope Francis explains that the General Secretary of Vatican City State should focus on pastoral duties and the care of the souls of all at Vatican City State. So, while Vergez will be a sort of “bishop of the Vatican parish”, Bertello is charged with management, thus increasing his power.  It is also the Pope’s intention to entrust Bertello with the coordination of the Curia’s general affairs.

The upcoming ordination of Vergez as archbishop is a good development for the Legionaries of Christ. Vergez’ mother was one of the women in the close circle of Marcial Maciel, the founder of the Legionaries who lived a double life: that of a respected founder of a Congregation full of vocations; and that of a drug addict who had love affairs with several women, at least three illegitimate children, and who abused his seminarians.

The secretary of the late Argentine Cardinal Eduardo Pironio and a respected and active member of the Legionaries of Christ, Vergez distanced himself from the founder of the Congregation at the right time, when the rise of Legionaries of Christ was going to come to an end because of the process instructed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith lead by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. Vergez reportedly testified that the Legionaries statutes approved by Pope John Paul II were not those the Congregation really applied. This is how he was awarded a post in the Vatican City State government. From there, he was catapulted to the number two position at the Vatican City State government.

Vergez’s promotions will presumably help the image of the Legionaries of Christ, which is preparing its general chapter in March and that is ever losing more “freshmen”. The Legionaries of Christ and its traditional supporters, like Secretary of State Emeritus Angelo Sodano, can thank the Pope for this opportunity.

Ultimately, Pope Francis clearly stated that he felt nostalgia for the Curia man of the old days. After the promotions of people presumably part of a gay lobby (and can this not be but a strategy to keep everybody under control?), and his preference to govern without the Curia as much as he can, Pope Francis keeps on going his own way.

Yet, a signal to Parolin has been given. The Pope said Parolin need not worry too much about his new job. Parolin’s importance is not considered pivotal, as evidenced by the Pope not waiting one week for Parolin to get well before officially inaugurating the new Secretary of State’s term in office.  

Right after Easter, Pope Francis will have to make appointments to fill important posts. Foremost is the appointment of the new Secretary of State. Tarcisio Bertone has been confirmed at this post donec aliter provideatur, «until otherwise provided». It is nevertheless clear that there will be a change of Secretary of State: Bertone is 78, three years beyond retirement age. He stayed at his post because Benedict XVI trusted him and did not want to lose one of his most loyal collaborators.

Tarcisio Bertone has been criticized for several reasons. Most poignantly, for not being a diplomat.  Paradoxically, this is one of the reasons why Benedict XVI chose him as Secretary of State. Bertone was not part of that «circle of diplomats» who rose through the ranks under the wing of Angelo Sodano, who led the Secretariat of State for almost 13 years. The heaviest attacks to Benedict XVI’s pontificate came from that circle of diplomats. Benedict XVI was guilty – they used to say – of lowering the profile of their work, taking Vatican diplomacy in a different direction.

Now diplomats are back on the top. Jorge Mario Bergoglio clashed with them as archbishop of Buenos Aires, when the papal nuncio – under Sodano’s indications – dismissed every one of Bergoglio’s suggestions for the appointment of new bishops. Yet, one of the most important endorsements for Bergoglio’s election came from Leonardo Sandri, Sodano’s dauphin and for a long time Bergoglio’s sworn enemy (Bergoglio received him on Friday, March 22)

Ultimately, the contest was for the position of Secretary of State, more than for the papacy. That of Secretary of State is a highly coveted post, because it is there than strings are pulled and contacts made. The Roman Curia, however, failed in its attempt to manage the conclave and this – according to an official of the Secretariat of State that speaks under condition of anonymity – is very serious. «It is – he says – as if Washington citizens were called to vote to elect New York City’s mayor. »

Trying to understand how the conclave played out can help us to understanding how Pope Francis will decide on his first appointments. It will be a difficult governing test.

According to initial reconstructions, Bergoglio did not enter the conclave with a considerable block of votes. On the other hand, no one had a strong candidacy: Marc Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, never got over 20 votes; Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, got just a few more; Angelo Scola, archbishop of Milan, had a maximum that – according to sources – ranged from 30 to 37 votes.

Odilo Pedro Scherer, archbishop of Sao Paulo, never had more than 20 votes. To undermine his candidacy, a rumor was circulated that he had the support of Cardinal Giovan Battista Re, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Bishops and Dean of the Conclave.  Re is a good friend of Cardinal Sodano (even if they drew apart towards the end of John Paul II’s pontificate).

This way, Bergoglio’s candidacy made inroads, and votes for him doubled from ballot to ballot. By the third ballot, before the lunch break in the second day of the conclave, it is reported that Bergoglio once again had the voting block that had backed him in the 2005 conclave. We are talking about nearly 30 votes, starting with that of Cardinal Daneels from Belgium. After the lunch break, Bergoglio’s candidacy took off.

At the fourth ballot, Bergoglio got 76 votes, one short of the required two thirds to be elected. At that time, the cardinals of the Curia were still not voting for him, and were divided on which strategy to follow.

It is rumored that Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, head of the Vatican City State administration, convinced part of the Italian curiali to switch their votes to the already certain-to-win Bergoglio. Pope Francis was thus elected with a very large majority, getting from 90 to 100 votes (depending on the source).

Bertello hopes that his effort will be rewarded with his appointment as Secretary of State. Taking the post of Secretary of State would be sort of a Bertello’s revenge on Bertone, since Bertone did not appoint him Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. For this post, Bertone appointed Fernando Filoni, then deputy at the Secretariat of State. Bertone and Filoni were not in the best of terms, so the promoveatur ut amoveatur (“promote to remove”) helped Bertone to dispense with his deputy. At the time, Filoni himself was considered a possible contender for the position of Secretary of State.

Perhaps Pope Francis will go beyond the dynamics of the conclave. It is rumored that an Italian nuncio will take over Bertone’s position. The choice of an Italian nuncio is coherent with the need for a change of narrative for the Vatican: a nuncio is more likely to be seen as not stained by the recent scandals that have hit the Roman Curia.

If this were to be, Lorenzo Baldisseri, the secretary of the Conclave, would be the one chosen. Once elected, Pope Francis – following an ancient tradition – gave him his red hat: Baldisseri will be created cardinal at the next consistory.

Baldisseri is a long-term diplomat. Among his most remarkable achievements is the Concordate (Church-State agreement) signed with Brazil at the time he was serving as papal nuncio in Brasilia. Now he is Secretary of the Congregation for Bishops, and will remain as such until his creation as cardinal. Then, he will probably benefit from a career jump.

Beyond the initial enthusiasm, the Curia is still on a wait-and-see mode regarding how Pope Francis will govern. So far we know that Pope Francis prefers the lower-profile title of bishop of Rome, and that he has made all his speeches in Italian, even the one in front of the ambassadors (by tradition, the language of diplomacy is French).

When cardinals chose Pope Francis, they were certainly looking for a change in narrative. The Pope’s attention to the poor, his plain oratory, his “Argentinian” modus operandi that leads him to embrace everyone and to approach the crowds to greet them, disregarding security considerations, has changed the attitude of the media to the Papacy: currently, all headlines are positive, not much is said about scandals, and the Church is not even attacked for her stand on bioethics and moral issues.

Many maintain that the honeymoon will soon end, since the Pope will have to take a stand. It is also true that Bergoglio has never favored taking an open stand on any given position, preferring a person to person dialogue.

This style is perhaps not fitting for a Pope, called to take strong position to defend principles in the international arena. This is why Vatican officials are worried. The appointment of the Secretary of State will be a litmus test.

Vatican officials would be relieved if the Pope would opt for continuity, promoting the current Secretary for Relations with States, Dominique Mamberti, to the post of Secretary of State, and creating him cardinal. Mamberti would be backed by the old diplomatic guard (the skilled diplomat Jean Louis Tauran is one of his mentors).  Mamberti did a good job during Benedict XVI’s pontificate as well, and has the capacity to manage the Secretariat of State.

In any case, the choice of Secretary of State will signal if Pope Francis’ pontificate will favor continuity, or if truly the Pope who has come from the ends of the earth is set to take on a different path. We shall soon see if Pope Francis will be just a world parish priest, or a Pope with a specific diplomatic doctrine.

James Michael Harvey, 63, leaves the post of Prefect of the Pontifical Household. Some say that Benedict XVI’s «head of household» had to leave because of health problems, and that Harvey himself asked for a less challenging post. Saint Paul Outside the Walls Basilica is indeed a tranquil post, prestigious but peripheral.  There, Harvey will be able to organize special events away from the fray. But this is far from being a reward for Harvey. In a moment of deep breaches within the Curia, it is important that the people closest to the Pope stay close.  Possibly, the surprising Papal decision was influenced by Harvey’s role in hiring Paolo Gabriele, the unfaithful butler.

Much have been said about a possible Papal pardon for Paolo Gabriele, the butler found guilty of stealing and leaking personal Papal documents. In fact, the press release that announced the verdict also stated that, for a Papal pardon, there is a need forthe unfaithful butler to express regret for what he did and to apologize to those who suffered from his actions. This has not happened. And the Pope is yet to meet him. Perhaps, the Pope is waiting for the trial of Claudio Sciarpelletti, the Vatican Secretariat of State Specialist tried for abetting Gabriele’s crimes. Paolo Gabriele will be called to the witness stand. He will speak after being sworn in (he was not sworn in when he was the accused party).  Will his statements change?

There is no doubt that Paolo Gabriele wants to speak with the Pope.  He has repeatedly said that he would tell the Pope –and no one else- the real reasons why he did what he did.  He mentions cardinals, talks about others, perhaps in an attempt to draw attention on himself. Benedict XVI probably wants to see how the situation evolves, and then eventually pardon Paolo Gabriele.

How is the Vatican world moving these days? After a scandal – like Vatileaks – every decision carries with it a special weight. The impression we get is of a Pope who is inexorably taking the lead through curia and College of Cardinals appointments. Benedict XVI is surgically accelerating his cleaning up of the Church.

Announcing a consistory is significant. The first name on the list of new cardinals is Harvey’s.  He is the one drawn from the curia. The other five new cardinals all come from out of Europe, and none of them is Italian. Was this a Papal move to balance a «too Italian» and «too much on Bertone’s side» curia? This theory lacks merit: the number of Italian cardinals has not decreased, and the new cardinals are all diocesan bishops. If there had been some new appointment drawn from the curia, it could have been read as a re-balancing of Bertone’s power. In this particular case, Benedict XVI and Bertone have merely «completed» the last consistory of February 2012 by creating five new cardinals that were already expected to get the red hat back in January. This lent the opportunity to move (up and out) James Michael Harvey, vacating the post of Prefect of the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household.

Harvey is the last representative of John Paul II’s old guard at the Pontifical Household. Ordained bishop with Piero Marini (then Vatican master of ceremonies) and Stanislaw Dziwisz (then John Paul II’s secretary, now cardinal and archbishop of Cracow), Harvey knew Paolo Gabriele since he was Assessor at the Secretariat of State and the butler was a floor-cleaner in the Apostolic Palace. Harvey signed off on the hiring of the unfaithful butler. His opinion was decisive in hiring Paolo Gabriele, following Dziwisz’s very good references. Dziwisz was the first to set the stage for the hiring of Paolo Gabriele for the Papal service. Was it a naïve choice, or was it intended to place a confidant close to the Pope?

None of these two hypothesis can be proven. After the butler’s arrest, Harvey breathed a rarefied atmosphere. Vatican sources say that he was not seen much. He silently exits the scene, while Paolo Gabriele speaks out loudly at his trial. Paolo Gabriele is not repentant, and his sentence is so weak that he is not even disqualified from ever again holding public office, according to the «partial and perpetual» disqualification formula which the Vatican Promotor of Justice Picardi made up. In fact, now that the judgment has come into effect, Paolo Gabriele will be removed from office and from any other Vatican office, according to Vatican procedures and to General Roman Curia Regulation art. 79.  This is more than what Picardi had asked for.

In fact, it is the end of Paolo Gabriele’s trial that allows us to discern the panorama. Georg Gaenswein, Benedict XVI’spersonal secretary, comes out worst. Gaenswein does not have a defined portfolio within the Pontifical Household.  He is not a bishop, so his views are often not taken into account. But he is a strong, precise man, and he wants rules to be respected. He attracts the animosity of many. Benedict XVI has understood this, and has confirmed his full confidenceon his collaborator. Now, he could also appoint Gaenswein to Harvey’s post, no matter if as bishop or not. Things are going to change in the Pontifical Household, one way or another. When Leonardo Sapienza, after a long time of service to the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household, was appointed Regent of the Household, he was not ordained bishop.  Even when Sapienza was in fact working as a Prefect. Now, it may be that Sapienza will be ordained a bishop, and as regent will absorb some of the Prefect’s responsibilities. If Gaenswein becomes Prefect, he would enjoy more decision making power, and could better manage the Pontifical Apartment.

This is perhaps the most logical solution. Having to find a way to let Harvey go, the Pope probably considered that the second consistory he decided to hold this year – the fifth of Benedict XVI’s pontificate – was a good occasion. More than a «new consistory», this is last consistory’s «part II». If it were a proper consistory, the list of new cardinals would start with Gehrard Ludwig Mueller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, who is entitled to the berretta rossa ex officio, as stated in Pastor Bonus. Benedict XVI himself explained the reasons of this Consistory speaking at the final working day of the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization. «With this little Consistory – the Pope said – I wanted to complete the Consistory of February, in the context of the new evangelization, with a gesture of the universality of the Church, showing that the Church is the Church of all peoples, she speaks in all languages, she is always a Church of Pentecost; not the Church of one continent, but a universal Church. This was precisely my intention, to express this in this context, this universality of the Church, which is also the beautiful expression of this Synod. For me it was really uplifting, comforting and encouraging to see here a reflection of the universal Church with its suffering, threats, dangers and joys, experiences of the Lord’s presence, even in difficult situations.»

Let’s now turn to take a look at the five new cardinals.

Bechara Boutros Rai is the Maronite Patriarch of Antiochia. Born in 1940, he studied at the Lateran University in Rome.  Patriarch BecharaRai is a solid and constant reference point for the Lebanese Christian community. He perfectly managed Benedict XVI’s trip to Lebanon.  His frequent statements on behalf of the Christian community in the Middle East have earned him the esteem of many, also within the Vatican Walls. Making the Maronite Patriarch a cardinal is also good for bringing the Churches closer together.

In addition to the siro-malabarian Georges Alencherry, who made the cut for the berretta rossa in the January consistory, the Indian Church gains Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal as its newest cardinal.  Thottunkal, from the siro-malankarian rite, is the Major Archbishop of Trivandrum, India’s oldest Christian Community. The Pope’s choice shows the increasing importance attached to India and to its Christian rites, which merit recognition within a sometimes confusing faith landscape. A landscape that is also challenging from a faith doctrine perspective .

By giving the berretta rossato two heads of Eastern Churches in communion with Rome (Bechara Rai and Thottunkal), Benedict XVI has consolidated a tradition begun with John XXIII and then continued by Paul VI and John Paul II. Many theologians argue that it is not coherent to give the title of cardinal – i.e. member of the Roman clergy and so elector of the Pope, who is the bishop of Rome – to a Patriarch who already holds a higher office, one that is similar to the Pope’s, and who represents a tradition different from the Latin. These are valid considerations that are however trumped by the need to strengthen the universality of the Church.

John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria, will be created cardinal as well. In 2009, he was chosen to be the rapporteur for Africa at the Bishops’ Synod on the Word of God. He enthusiastically hailed the final message of the synod, underlining it contained «a lot of Africa and a lot of hope». During those days, the synod’s attention drew on him alsoon account of the difficult situation of Christians in Nigeria, victims of attacks almost weekly. Onayekan made it a point to underline that «there is no war of religions» in Nigeria and asked Christians to «respond to violence with peace». The red hat for him is also a sign of solidarity with the Nigerian suffering Church.

Rubén Salazar Gòmez, archbishop of Bogotà, Colombia, is also facing difficult challenges. Born in 1942, Salazar has beena parish priest, a teacher at the Seminar, a director of the Social Pastoral Department of the Colombian Bishops’ Conference and Vicar for the Pastoral. In his career as a bishop (before Bogotà, he was bishop of Cucuta and Barranquilla), he stood out for his call for the release of hostages held by drug traffickers, and for his work in conjunction with the International Red Cross in Colombia. His appointment as a cardinal also has a geo-political significance: Colombia does not have any voting cardinals, while they had three Colombian cardinals in the last conclave.

Finally, Luis Antonio Tagle, 54, archbishop of Manila, will also be created cardinal in the next consistory. He was expected to be created cardinal in the January consistory.  When this did not happen, some critics attributed it to Tagle being part of the Giuseppe Alberigo and Alberto Melloni team thatwrotea history of the Second Vatican Council.  The so called «school of Bologna» reading of the Council as a breach in Church history stands in contrast to Benedict XVI’s hermeneutic of reform. Tagle’sperspective has not led to Pope to change his trust on him. In fact, Tagle has beenassigned important responsibilities during this pontificate. This shows the confidence that Benedict XVI has for Tagle.

With the next consistory (the fifth held by Benedict XVI), the Pope will reach the sum of 90 new cardinals created. As of November 24, the College of Cardinals will be made up of 211 cardinals. Of those, 120 are voting members,while the other 91 are over 80 and cannot be in a conclave.  Thus, of the 120 electors/cardinals,  almost 2 thirds have been created by Benedict XVI.  Despite internal and external attacks, Benedict XVI may achieve something John Paul II did not: to have his successor elected from one of the cardinals he created (Ratzinger was created cardinal by Paul VI).

Benedict XVI has had a hand even in managing the curia. And it is perhaps as a result of his uncompromising actions that the first attacks against the consistory in January were carried out.  Some called the consistory appointments «too Italian» and «leaning towards Bertone.» Then, on Friday morning, some have interpreted the creation of these six new cardinals as a warning for Bertone. But this explanation is far from logical. Obviously, in making selections, one choses trusted people, maybe even friends. Neither the Pope nor Bertone are free of this proclivity. In putting things in order – as the Pope is doing – it is important to have faithful allies.

Meanwhile, we await the November 5^th trial. Claudio Sciarpelletti, computer specialist at the Secretariat of State, will be tried for abetting a crime. Among the witnesses, there should be one Msgr. Carlo Maria Polvani, head of the information office in the Secretariat of State. Polvani is Msgr. Carlo Maria Viganò’s nephew. Viganò’s protest of his move to Washington to become apostolic nuncio (in important letters about «corruption» in the Vatican that he, Viganò, claimed was being prevented from tackling) kicked off Vatileaks. Viganò had already had the opportunity tospeak at length with Benedict XVI. And on Wednesday, October 24, at the general audience, he had been seen kissing the hands of Benedict XVI and taking advantage of thisopportunity to speak with the Pope. Has Viganò come to Italy to defend his nephew?