The writer is one of Italy's most veteran and reputable Vatican correspondents, so even if this article may sound like a gossip column, D'Anna does have contacts, and these 'indiscretions', as the Italian media call this kind of informal reporting, are not likely to be unfounded.
Whispers across the Tiber
By Antonio D'Anna
Affari Italiani, 1/31/08
While the political crisis of the Prodi government awaits resolution, the Vatican, too, is waiting but without taking sides, as the secretary of the Italian bishops conference, Mons. Giuseppe Betori, made clear to newsmen this week.
"The Church should not, does not nor intend to take any partisan sides," he said at the conclusion of the CEI Permanent Council's winter session, he called on all politicians "to place the common good above everything rather than partisan interests", and that the Italian bishops "do not have any preferences for any particular institutional, constitutional or electoral solution, as long as it respects democracy."
But meanwhile, the Curial machine is undergoing some adjustments.
A Vatican source told us, "The principal aim is the communications capabilities of the Holy See."
More specifically, "
There is now a will to reply to attacks which were ignored in the past... (and) this had caused quite a lot of hand-wringing. But these things always happen in a transition between Pontificates."
In this case, the source said, "
Benedict XVI has a new mentality: he wants a Church that does not scandalize the greater majority of 'ordinary' faithful - that's why his zero tolerance for pedophilia and other sexual offenses by the clergy;and why he stresses evangelical poverty - look at his Lenten message on almsgiving, with the parts about diplomatic necessities made secondary."
Insofar as diplomacy goes, it seems Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-Kiun of Hongkong has raised some handwringing as well in the Secretariat of State. One of the most militant advocates for human rights, Zen is hardly pleasing to the Chinese authorities, and veterans at State are concerned.
"It's not that he does it purposely, but since he has been friends with Joseph Ratzinger for over 20 years, he gets some sort of 'preferential treatment' - and he can always count on being received in the papal apartments without any difficulty."
So it appears that Zen speaks, the Pope listens, and the Secretariat of State comes to hear about it only later. Which, they claim at State, creates some difficulties.
[What difficulties! It is not as if the Pope and the cardinal go ahead and do something official unilaterally without going through the right diplomatic channels. They're simply doing away with unnecessary preliminary protocol to meet as friends - and at their age, they're certainly entitled to.]
And what about the CEI? At their offices, some are saying "It is time to go beyond the policies of Cardinal Ruini", because his successor Cardinal Bagnasco has been just as firm as Ruini ever was about defining where the Church stands on social issues that impact on the Church's doctrine.
But instead, the permanent Council has just named Ruini president for a five-year-term of the new committee for the 'Cultural Project', Ruini's own pet project when he was CEI president.
Its main initiative is to propose concrete steps which will keep the Church position on public issues alive and clear in the public consciousness, especially on issues that have to do with anthropological issues (bioethics and human rights) and the search for truth. Something Ruini managed to do very well during his 15 years at the helm of the CEI.
Finally, on Friday, Feb. 1, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone will celebrate Mass for the 40th anniversary of the Sant'Egidio Community, which was born on Feb. 8, 1968 in the Chiesa Nuova of Rome, at the initiative of students from the Virgil Lyceum.
From its first project to provide after-school centers for children in the poor areas of the Roman suburbs, Sant'Egidio today has 50,000 members in 70 countries, and a website in 25 languages.
Acting as sort of a 'parallel diplomacy' for the Holy See - besides its commitment to the suburban poor around the world - it has been acting as a 'mediator' for years with China, where Catholics faithful to Rome were considered to be rendering fealty to a 'foreign head of state' in the Pope.
It is not easy to bring 10 million out of the shadows of persecution and violence, but hope is, after all, a theological virtue. Which the Sant'Egidio Community has never been short of. Best wishes to them.
Affari Italiani, 31 gennaio 2008