just between us

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Oct 02, 2007

The NCR's John Allen has a note on out-going Papal MC Piero Marini in which he floats the appalling possibility that Marini might succeed Cardinal Arinze as Prefect of the Congregation for Worship. Your Uncle Di hopes that rumor is a case of wishful thinking on the part of the clique of Roman liturgistas for whom Marini serves as den mother -- but the logic of Vatican appointments remains a mystery in great part, and the speculation can't be rejected outright. One dram of comfort may be derived from Allen's statement that the sources from which the rumor arose also made the contradictory surmise that Marini's departure stemmed from disagreements with Pope Benedict's vision of the Eucharist. The following passage caught my attention:

Those sources also said that the timing of Marini's departure may be linked to the recent decision by Pope Benedict XVI to liberalize permission for the Latin Mass in use prior to the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). Although Marini never took a public position on the move, it's widely known that he has expressed reservations in private.

Got that? It's widely known that Marini has expressed his reservations in private. It would be hard to come up with a better formulation of the feline dynamics of Vatican gossip, and John Allen -- whether he inadvertently hit on the happy phrasing or is making a sly comment on the ethics of his sources -- deserves congratulations for giving us the perfect portrait of Piero.