Infovaticano seems to think that Cardinal Parolin may take over Saint Peter’s Basilica and Archbishop Gallagher as Secretary of State.
But they don’t think Bishop Marini is out of the running.
It would be fantastic if Marini is the new head of St. Peter’s!
Somehow I think for Parolin to take that position would be seen as a demotion, especially as he was in the running to be the next pope. Just my two outdated and suppressed US cents worth.
Google translation of Infovaticano’s Spanish musings:
The Empty Seat and Parolin’s Name
The day’s most significant aspect lies in what is missing. The Archpriestship of St. Peter’s—linked since 2005 to the Vicariate General for Vatican City and the presidency of the Fabric of St. Peter—is one of the few top-tier posts allowing a Pope to honorably reposition a cardinal of the highest rank without creating a custom-made dicastery. And that is precisely the profile Leo XIV needs to accommodate if he decides, as has been rumored in Rome since the summer, to reshuffle the Secretariat of State.
*Il Giornale d’Italia* has put forward the most concrete hypothesis: Cardinal Pietro Parolin—aged 71, with thirteen years at the helm of Vatican diplomacy and a major rival to Prevost in the May 2025 conclave—would move from the Secretariat of State to the Vatican Basilica, with Monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher, the current Secretary for Relations with States, taking his place. The newspaper presents this as a rumor, but today’s move lends it plausibility: the seat Gambetti is vacating is exactly the one required for this maneuver, and it would offer Parolin an honorable exit, much like those granted to other cardinals at the end of their Curial careers in the past.
There are variations to this scenario. In August, *Korazym* suggested that Parolin might replace Cardinal Filoni—now an octogenarian—as Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, an international role fitting his diplomatic background, while placing Monsignor Guido Marini—Bishop of Tortona and former Master of Ceremonies for Benedict XVI—at the head of St. Peter’s. Either combination would represent the most significant change in the Curia since the election of Leo XIV, and in both scenarios, Gallagher appears as the man tapped to lead the Secretariat of State.
1 comment:
It's good to see this, and it makes me wonder about the appointment process for the archpriest role. If there's been a shortlist of three, as for episcopal appointments, it explains why the same names keep coming up in the Vaticanists' gossip, although presumably Pope Leo would have had to have a difficult conversation with his Secretary of State before he was put on the list.
I was surprised by the Giornale d’Italia's emphasis on Cardinal Parolin's age, since Archbishop Gallagher is older than him (if only by three months). I suppose the rumours about Parolin's health that surfaced before the conclave have continued to affect how he's viewed in the Vatican. If Pope Leo does want to move Parolin, there aren't many other options available: I'd have thought that the Holy Sepulchre role would suit Parolin better (one other possibility is taking on Milan, now that Delpini is 75, but that seems pretty unlikely).
Anyway, I hope that pastoral considerations take precedence over political ones when this appointment is made. It's a real opportunity to transform the basilica and its place in public life: I used to tune in regularly to watch Cardinal Comastri's daily rosary during the Covid period, and my heart sank when his successor seemed bent on turning the basilica into a business venture.
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