Grab-Bag, Roman Style

Alongside the hysterical laughter over CWNews' bungling the release date of the homosems document -- an error for which they issued a "retraction" which basically deflected blame, but they did quote John Allen which is, for conservatives, a dose of humble pie -- communications from Rome have been action-packed in recent days.

(Wait... It's election day and the Electricians have sent out their yellow school bus blasting MC Hammer's "You Can't Touch This." I kid you not, and I can't concentrate. They're keeping the machine oiled for next year's gubernatorial/senate armageddon. Nothing big in this town this year; judges, judges, more judges, and a pay-to-play ballot question. Truck's past now, I can proceed... and I still have to cast my ballot.)

The rumor mill keeps churning because, well, that's your Curia's preferred spectator sport.

A consistent thread coming from my conversations is the continuing decline in influence of the "Clan Irpinia," headed by Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, prefect of the Propaganda Fide; its members also include Mario Agnes, editor of L'Osservatore Romano, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, director of the Holy See Press Office, and the famous Mother Tekla Famiglietti, superior of the Brigittine Sisters. One source cites the recent appointment of the American curialist Michael Blume, S.V.D. as an archbishop and apostolic nuncio in Togo and Benin, saying that Blume had recently "run afoul" of Sepe, "and [Blume's] elevation was very much a vindication of his cause." Not to mention that it drove the diplomats in general nutty as Blume was not a graduate of the Accademia, which has been the training-ground for the next generation of nuncios since the year 69AD, or thereabout, but had simply proven himself through practical experience in the trenches.

Also on the radar screen is the future of Cardinal Gianbattista Re, widow of Benelli and prefect of the Congregation for Bishops. I've been saying for a while, in corroboration with others, that B16 has been extremely deliberative in the assent he gives to the appointments of bishops agreed upon by the Congregation, as opposed to his predecessor, who would assent immediately and automatically unless it would cause civil war in a national hierarchy (New York) or a friend of Dziwisz's was involved. It seems the Pope would be eager to name someone on his own wavelength to supervise the process.

The latest buzz cycle has Re headed to the vicariate of Rome in succession to Cardinal Ruini, who turns 75 in February, 2006. Of course, as one of the Vicar for Rome's charges is to serve, by papal appointment, as president of the CEI, the Italian Bishops' Conference, it'd make sense. But as Ruini has used the post to advance a neoconservative worldview, to be succeeded by a more pragmatic (not to mention progressivist) diplomat would send a curious signal in church circles.

Rumours of the shake-up come in fits and starts. A "wave" of changes over last weekend was predicted by a midlevel official late in the week and, well, we got bupkus. That shows you how closely to the vest B16 is keeping his cards.

More as I have it.

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