Whole Lotta Shakeup Goin' On....

Last night, I reported this:

The more discreet types in Roman life have been breathing sighs of relief that the first summer of the pontificate had WYD as a "buffer." If it didn't, so the argument goes, the curial reshuffle would've been the dominant item on everyone's mind and there would've been much more anxiety and spatting than there's been. Now, with a successful jaunt in Cologne under the Pope's belt, August winding down and the Curia getting ready to reopen for business, center stage at the Vatican belongs to the Pope's internal agenda -- what he wants and who will end up where.... As one operative said it, "Things could get rather kooky over here."

This afternoon, Papabile enters the fray: "The first ten days of September will leave everyone's head spinning. There's a major reorg coming...."

Combine those with reports from three continents that certain prelates have already been given happy news and are preparing for new assignments in Rome, and you can see -- again -- that something BIG is afoot. The strategy at work here is to have it done early and done quickly, lest everyone get too comfortable at their desks coming back from vacation....

What's more, as the dicastery heads are all ex officio members of the Synod of Bishops, it just makes better sense for the New Curia to be appointed prior to the 2 October opening of the Synod on the Eucharist, so the incoming prefects and presidents can take their seats in the Hall and be able to mix it up the bishop-delegates coming to town from around the world. Encouraging good working relationships is what you do when you want your bureaucracy to be a collegial one, and the Pope has explicitly given his commitment to that.

When the boom gets lowered, don't say I didn't tell you. I've been talking about it for months now.

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