BENEDICT XVI: NEWS, PAPAL TEXTS, PHOTOS AND COMMENTARY

I am always disappointed when veteran Vatican observers - even the best ones - end up taking a stereotyped kneejerk view of developments in the Church, or this time, in the Vatican. As Jean Mercier does in this piece. Which not only fails to offer any new insight or information, but also makes the usual gross and often unfounded assumptions used loosely by the run-of-the-mill Vaticanista.

Benedict XVI: Betrayed
by people in high places
Translated from

March 1, 2012

In addition to his problems with the Lefebvrians, the Pope must now deal with the current media enthusiasm over the disclosure of documents leaked by a traitor within the Curia.

[Once again, the unthinking and baseless attribution of the current problem to the entire Curia, when it has clearly been confined so far to the Secretariat of State - which is not 'THE CURIA' much as its denizens may think they are.]

It is a practice at every Mass to pray for the Pope and the bishop of the place where the Mass is said - a practice which is vital in these particularly troubled times. [It is vital at all times, since we do not pray to God only when we are in trouble.]

Benedict XVI has never been so exposed as in the past two months. [That is a fundamentally false statement. First, because, for a change, no one is blaming the Pope directly for all this contretemps ex cept insofar as he chose Bertone, to begin with), if only because he is the ultimate victim of anything that detracts from the efficacy and efficiency of Vatican administration. And more importantly, the current uproar is nothing compared to the spring of 2010 and all the media-generated cyclonic battering the Pope had to endure - and withstood with such grace - in which his implacable enemies at the New York Times and the AP did everything they could to try and impugn his personal reputation. One imagines that if he could, he would gladly take all the opprobrium today for the reprehensibly childish behavior of his subordinates, but he cannot expiate their individual sins nor undo the damage done by their insidious actions - they have to do that themselves.]

Of course, there's the FSSPX file which is far from resolved - and whose ultimate and daunting resolution is in his hands alone. But the Pope must have had serious concerns since the Italian media started publishing documents which should never have left the Vatican. [Those papers should never have left the CONFIDENTIAL files in which they were kept! So obviously, someone - or more than one - who had access to those confidential files had no problem copying whatever documents he/they could. The fact that six weeks after the Vigano letters were first published, Vatican security has not yet identified the traitors is troubling. Was file security so lax that a simple process of elimination by access level has not narrowed down the possible culprits enough to identify them (at least 20, as improbably alleged by the supposed mole who was interviewed disguised on Italian TV, so there is no way to establish his bona fides (not that a traitor can be expected to have any, of course). ]

A traitor - or more than one - has leaked to a scoop-hungry Italian media [What media is not scoop-hungry regardless of the country?] letters addressed to the Pope and his co-workers. These letters denounce corruption in the Vatican [One letter alleged it, though what it described was more cronyism and wasteful spending rather than corruption - and this is a blatant example of how even the most well-meaning reporters can be just as coprophagic and coprophilic, to use Cardinal Bergoglio's memorably appropriate terms, as their less reputable colleagues] ][/DIM, evoking maneuvers aimed at the next Conclave, providing the scenario for such maneuvers by some cardinals to get power or to manipulate it, and revealing the reciprocal hatreds among the different factions.

[In choosing to present the 'cumulative' effect of the leaks so far, Mercier is wrongly giving equal weight to Viganp's letters and the ravings of an anonymous memorandum, even if the latter does have a few plausible assumptions about inevitable high-level rivalries]

This is very serious because the traitors could be from the Secretariat of State. [Could be? No subjunctive speculation needed here, when the Vigano letter to Bertone has aa SecState date stamp on it, and when subsequent statements by Fr. Lombardi have, in effect, authenticated the leaked documents.]

It is obvious that the object of the operation is to have the Secretariat of State blow up, or at least, to force out Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, because most of the documents target him, directly or indirectly.

Obviously, one must not be naive. The Curia has never lacked for power squabbles. The novelty is that the media have cashed in on these dysfunctions that have till now been kept from view, and the Pope's communications services are at a loss because they cannot deny the existence of the documents.

With each revelation, Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi has had to acknowledge that the documents are real, even if the facts they allege are sometimes imagined or a distortion of reality.

For instance, that about the existence of a plot to assassinate the Pope which, as the leaked document itself makes clear, was nothing but the false interpretation of statements allegedly made by a cardinal while on a visit to China.

Who could want to 'blow up' the Curia? From all accounts, it would be those who never accepted Cardinal Bertone as Secretary of State - who had been for a time Cardinal Ratzinger's 'right hand' at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and was now his 'prime minister'.

His choice of Bertone was risky: This Salesian cardinal is doubtless more interested in football and Italian politics than in governing an institution as complex as the Holy See. But he had the full confidence of the Pope. even as he also represented a major break with the system that had been established by his predecessor, Cardinal Sodano.

The latter, whose entire career had been in Vatican diplomacy [and therefore, the Secretariat of State], had been an intimate friend of Chilean President Augusto Pinochet and his wife when Sodano was the Apostolic Nuncio to Chile. and had supported the scandalous Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legionaries of Christ. [I have never liked Sodano from sheer gut reaction, but I 'defended' him for his Eastern Sunday 2010 public message of support for Benedict XVI in the name of the College of Cardinals,and for the gross misinterpretation of what he said about 'idle chatter'. Likewise, it is not fair to impute to him any guilt by association with the Pinochets or with Maciel. He does not have to defend his record with the Pinochets because one cannot imagine he approved Pinochet's tyrannies. (He would have to be a monster to have done so.) However, since he has chosen not to publicly deny his support of Maciel, he cannot blame anyone for the widespread impression that he was Maciel's principal shield at the Vatican.]

Cardinal Ratzinger had sought since the start of the 2000s to attack the problem of sexual crimes in the heart of the clergy but came up against the resistance of Sodano's team. [It would seem that the 'Sodano team' could not have been so brazen about 'protecting' Maciel, if they did, were it not that as late as 2004 - at least three years since the US scandal erupted and the Pope made the CDF in charge of the problem - John Paul II himself publicly praised Maciel and his Legionaries of Christ as a worthy model for the Church. At a time when the CDF had been unable to conduct the investigations which eventually led to a condemnation of Maciel's conduct in 2006. In other words, in 2004, Cardinal Ratzinger did not yet have the proof to show John Paul II that he had been deceived by and about his friend Maciel. In turn, the late Pope's loyal friendship with Maciel gave cover, in effect, to those who sought to protect Maciel from being unmasked.]

It is not impossible that Sodano is behind the present destabilization moves, that he is pulling the strings behind the scenes. He keeps a certain level of power[through his influence on members of his team who are still in the Secretariat of State - and one might imagine that most of the bureaucracy were behind him] and he seems to be in excellent form at 84.

In the case of a Conclave, he would be in charge of the preparations for the succession since he is the Dean of Cardinals. {Not so, unless you assume he will necessarily outlive Benedict XVI. Both were born in 1927, Sodano being 7 months younger. It always infuriates me when a reporter or commentators makes this questionable assumption.]

As for Bertone, who is doubtless beyond his capabilities in such a political role, he has obviously attracted enmities. He seems to be physically and morally exhausted. {How can Mercier say that from the outside looking on? Bertone looked and sounded as jaunty as ever in his appearance at the Vatican Secret Archives exhibit on Monday. In fact, it's hard to imagine Bertone being less than ebullient, only that his bonhomie obviously has not won over any of his enemies.]

Having reached canonical retirement age two years ago, Benedict XVI has kept him on. But the Pope knows that he must replace him rapidly if he does not want to plunge the Curia into an even graver crisis. {Again, an assumption that has so many unknowable premises, not the least that Benedict XVI 'must replace him rapidly'. To replace Bertone, he needs someone who is capable of restoring order and discipline tout de suite in the Secretariat of State. Another 'outsider', no matter how well-qualified, will probably not work, but the Pope must also be sure that the new man will be loyal to him and the Church, not to any vested interests.]

So he must find another man who has his full confidence, because Benedict XVI is aware that he may have a few more years to live, and he must have assurance of support.

At the same time, he must name a successor to Cardinal Levada at CDF, the other position in the Curia.

Which leaves him with a couple of major decisions to make, which will constitute genuine wagers for the future by a man who despite keeping his intellectual brilliance intact, may find it hard to find the right fit for these positions, and must rethink the administrative aspect of his governance in the latter phase of his Pontificate (which may last another 5 years or more).

All the more reason to keep praying for him.

About the assertion Mercier makes in his headline, it is not news that well-placed types in the Vatican establishment have never accapted the election of Benedict XVI and have done everything that middle-level bureauxcrats who know the system from A to Z can do to stall or impede his actions (since they are unable to block him directly). So that kind if highly-placed treason is not news.

I would take the argument further, though, and say that without meaning it in any way, it is Cardinal Bertone who has betrayed the Pope and his so-far unswerving manifestation of confidence in him worst of all. He does so in two ways - Bertone's own apparent administrative incompetence; and a number of misplaced initiatives (eventually rescinded by the Pope himself) which, instead of serving to 'improve' his image to those who oppose him, have only served to give them ammunition to shoot him down.

From all accounts, even by Vaticanistas sympathetic to him, Bertone seems to have displaced his focus from the Secretariat of State itself which he is supposed to run - but obviously has not been able to master, given all the rebels loyal to the Old Guard who still man the levers - to seeking to control important moneymaking institutions of the Church in Italy over which the Vatican really has no business butting into (not to mention the Italian bishops conference itself).

It's like a student having to do his homework conscientiously and well first and pass his exams with flying colors, before he can think of running for Student Council president and all sorts of extra-curricular activities to the neglect of his academic course work.

One would think Cardinal Bertone might look at the example of Benedict XVI himself who preaches that each of us must attend to the essentials first, and the rest will follow. This applies to the way we practice our faith as to the way we live our daily life in general.

Even worse, it seems that Cardinal Bertone may have allowed power to get to him. His efforts to make his hand felt significantly in the affairs of the Church in Italy seem to have been a way to develop a significant power base that did not need to be from within the Secretariat of State and would be a counterweight to it. It is still a reach for power. And an unseemly one.

The magnitude of his attempts - fortunately foiled by the Pope in time - would seem to indicate the magnitude of his desire for such power. And it would seem that once again, Lord Acton was right about power. It can corrupt. Even of Cardinal Bertone hardly seems to be corruptible. I wonder if he has considered the example of the Salesian founder, St. John Bosco, lately]

God bless Benedict XVI and all those who are supposed to help him carry out his Petrine ministry!

P.S. Ciacomo Galeazzi suggests today that Cardinal Leandro Sandri, now Prefect for Oriental Churches, may be a possible replacement for Bertone. In a recent blog entry, John Allen also brought up Sandri's name, praising him as having kept the Secretariat of State 'running smoothly' for over a decade as the Sostituto to Cardinal Sodano. So presumably he will not be seen as an outsider at SecState. But will his more than 5 years of service now as a cardinal created by Benedict XVI outweigh any loyalty he may have to Sodano and the Old Guard? Also how does the claim that Sandri ran SecState 'smoothly' square with the continuing refrain by most Vaticanistas, including Allen, that John Paul II was so disinterested in governing that ht left the Curia in disarray? The statements can't both be true.


Perhaps it's just me, but the tone of the following news report-cum-comentary by Andrea Tornielli is quite different from his blog yesterday commenting on the Tonrielli-Tettamanzi letter, in that he allows himself to be far more censorious in his blog....

Some foreign cardinals are uneasy
about the Secretary of State but
the Pope will keep him on
by Andrea Tornielli
Translated from

March 1, 2012

VATICAN CITY - "These are the documents to see and to present, whose historical truth strikes me" Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone demonstrated tranqullity, though surrounded by Vatican security men who accompoany him everywhere.

He had just arrived at the exhibit 'Lux in Arcana' of documents from the Vatican Secret Archives, and that was his answer to newsmen's questions about the 'poisoned atmosphere' created by the so-called Vatileaks.

But if externally - as in recent interviews on Italian state TV-s TG-1, and his many other public activities - the Vatican 'Prime Minister' appears serene, the atmosphere is quite different at the Vatican where the hunt goes on for the mole or moles responsible for releasing confidential files to the media: starting with the letters of the ex-Secretary of the Vatican Governatorate, Mons. Carlo Maria Vigano, who denounced 'corruption' in the awarding of Vatican work contracts, to a private exchange of opinions about the proposed anti-money-laundering regulations to be adopted by the Vatican's IOR, to an anonymous note with unfounded speculation of a plot to kill the Pope, to the letter written by Caridnal Bertone to then Archbishop of Milan Cardinal Dionigo Tettamanzi dismissing him from the administrative council of the Istituto Toniolo (the private fo8undation that runs the Catholic University, the Gemelli Hospital and many other institutions of the Church in Italy).

What has grown lately is the perceptible disquiet among prominent cardinals from around the world who were in Rome for the recent consistory. It is known that two years ago, following the uproar over the 'Williamson case', a group of cardinals convened by Benedict XVI in Castel Gandolfo had tried to ask the Pope to accept the resignation offered pro forma by Bertone when he turned 75. The cardinals were Ruini, Bagnasco, Scola and Schoenborn - known to be among those close to the Pope. [One had wondered at the time why Bertone was not among the invitees!]

But apparently the Pope closed the discussion before it could even begin, as he reportedly did on previous occasions when other cardinals had brought up the subject, including the Archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Joachim Meisner [who is Benedict XVI's closest friend among the cardinals]. [No wonder Bertone has been confident about his standing with the Pope to the point of audacity! The Pope obviously has his reasons for keeping on Bertone that we may never know, but this seems to be one papal decision that has been counterproductive by most accounts, on which he nonetheless insists.

Papa Ratzinger has known Bertone for many years. [But he has known Cardinal Meisner much much longer! And even Cardinal Kasper, for that matter, whom he has known for over 40 years. And yet, Kasper, who was always to the left of Joseph Ratzinger in his theology, has emerged in the past few years as the only cardinal who has spoken up promptly in defense of Benedict XVI through a number of 'controversies' starting with the Good Friday prayer for the Jews in 2007. Each time, in marked contrast to the deafening silence from Cardinal Bertone whose behavior during such crises I have described as 'missing in action' - he was never to be found anywhere near the action in its critical phases.]

Working with him for six years at the CDF, the Pope appreciates Bertone's loyalty, but he also knew when he appointed him as his Secretary of State but he also knew that since the latter did not come from the Vatican diplomatic ladder, his arrival would provoke considerable upsets in that establishment. Many ranking officials in the Secretariat see the recent developments as the Old Guard lashing its tail.

Meanwhile, despite 'intensive' investigations by the Vatican police, they have yet to identify the person or persons responsible for Vatileaks. [Isn't anyone bothered by this seeming inefficiency? You'd almost think they aren't really trying! How many policemen and how many weeks does it take to flush out these moles? Maybe the Pope should call in the police dog Inspector Rex to help them out!]

In recent weeks, the disturbances in the SecState establishment are becoming a true and proper earthquake that is destabilizing the entire institution, which appears beset - even shattered - by various power plays. [Perhaps Tornielli exaggerates. And surely he only means the Secretariat of State, not the entire Curia... Maybe it's not enough to just order a police investigation. Maybe the Secretary of State should call all his staff and personnel together and assert his leadership in a firm but charitable manner and try to reach out to them genuinely. Maybe he should speak to each department, section and office separately to listen to their concerns - even about him personally. Maybe he should stop giving the impression that he is interested only in talking to VIPS and political leaders from all over the world, who routinely pay him a courtesy call after they see the Pope... And if he has tried all this and it has not worked - leadership is judged by its results - then he is ineffective as a leader and he should insist on resigning to spare the Pope more embarrassment and genuine harm. It would be the best service he could render.nd his greatest vanity would be to think that he is indispensable in any way to the Holy Father.]

Under criticism is how Bertone has run the Secretariat of State; his excessive interst in Italian affairs - just think of his foiled attempts to gain control of Istituto Toniolo and then the San Raffaele - as well as the whole undergrowth of his lay plenipotentiary surrogates, true or presumed, who have been working in his name and using his name.

Not two weeks ago, during the consistory, the disquiet felt by many foreign cardinals about mismanagement in the Curia emerged clearly in various conversations among them. Many started to speak openly and to ask about certain papabili - which is unheard of. [Why would disquiet over the Secretary of State necessarily lead them to discuss papabili? It's a non sequitur, unless their concern is to keep Bertone himself from being considered papabile, which God forbid!] Some were openly displeased about the Italian leadership in the Secretariat of State.

So far, Benedict XVI has continued to defend Bertone from attacks and criticisms: "He has his defects, but so did his predecessors", he has reportedly said, implying that he intended to keep him on by his side. [Yes, but (and I am sorry to think this, Holy Father), it seems sad - and wrong - that a Benedict XVI should content himself with someone who is, in effect, a mediocrity, or at least, someone far from brilliant in his performance so far, as his right-hand man!]

The Secretary of State therefore appears to be firmly in command for now, and there are those who say he is planning a major countermove such as changes in the management structure of IOR.

And since Benedict XVI is known for taking his time on making major decisions, no one is saying that the pro forma resignation submitted by Bertone two and a half years ago will be accepted soon.

[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 02/03/2012 19:20]