“Cat among the pigeons”? Or “bull in the China shop”?

This is very interesting. Our ++George in an “evening round table” with the pope and three other leading curial cardinals. Wait a minute… ++George isn’t a curial official, is he? All the more interesting… In any case, one hopes that they were able to come up with some good ideas, and give HH some sound advice.

About Schütz

I am a PhD candidate & sessional academic at Australian Catholic University in Melbourne, Australia. After almost 10 years in ministry as a Lutheran pastor, I was received into the Catholic Church in 2003. I worked for the Archdiocese of Melbourne for 18 years in Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations. I have been editor of Gesher for the Council of Christians & Jews and am guest editor of the historical journal “Footprints”. I have a passion for pilgrimage and pioneered the MacKillop Woods Way.
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3 Responses to “Cat among the pigeons”? Or “bull in the China shop”?

  1. Peregrinus says:

    No, George isn’t a curial official. (Or, at least, not a full-time curial official. Isn’t he a member of at least one of the curial congregations?)

    But, if the object of the meeting was, as reported, to restore a “climate of serenity and trust in the service of the Roman Curia” then clearly the Pope needs to be consulting people outside the curia. It’s the church, which the curia is supposed to serve, which decides whether it can serenely trust that service and, if not, why not. A process which didn’t involve talking to diocesans would obviously be incomplete.

    Pell might be a wise choice of adviser for this purpose. Not being a butler, I have no idea what goes on in private meetings in the Apostolic Palace, but Pell strikes me as the kind of bloke who would be as frank and fearless, as willing to say unpopular and unwelcome things, in private as he is in public. Plus, as the linked article points out, Pell himself has been the victim of a nasty bit of careerist backstabbing, so if there are reasons why people are not all that serene and trusting when it comes to the curia, he has reason to know what they are. They probably should be involving more diocesans in this process, and to religious superiors.

  2. Adam says:

    Well now we know for sure where the archbishop of Sydney has been for the
    last three months. On sabbatical in Rome. Not sure of any other senior arch who takes three months off to study when they are the Ordinary of a major See. His must not be a busy diocese. Be that as it may the point of the Vatileaks investigation is one that has taken on urgent necessity to establish who and how these numerous docs came to be missing from the apostolic palace and from under the pope’s very nose. Well he does travel a lot and is away from the office so there are numerous chances to slip into the bunker and riffle the study. And was the butler the only one with access. Dont think so. If any one has worked in offices then they will know there are cleaners and also security who have access day and through the night. And on holiday time when things wind down. If the pope was out on ceremonial duties theres the obvious chance to nip in and photocopy. No Sherlock Holmes required there. But deeper is the sniping going on out the back and has this ever been otherwise in the Vatican. Once again history tells us of worse things in the papal environs. The thing is now its all out in the open. People pay for the big story the leaked documents and its a global revelation for big $$$$. The media will grab a story of intrigue and knife throwing in the Vatican anytime.
    Perhaps now rumours on the death of John Paul I wont be taken so lightly. Who really nows what goes on inside the walls across the Tiber. It ought make us all think about the Gospel and its real message that has so offen become distorted out of ambition and jealousy and money and revenge. Some people or many are not pleased with what is happening in the Vatican.
    The truth is it may take a newly elected strong and dynamic pope to come in and change the whole atmosphere.

    Semper fidelis.

  3. Adam says:

    Oh forgot. Here’s a little scenario for the future. Cardinal George Pell as the next Secretary of State. Speaks Italian and English. Bertone the outgoing incumbent does not speak English. And Bertone was missing from weekend meeting of select cardinals with the pope at which the only non-curialist Pell was present. Neat eh !!!!

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