Cardinal non grata?

In the bad old daze of the Soviet Union, Kremlin-watchers used to keep careful track of who appeared at public meetings of the inner circles of the Communist Party. At events such as the annual May Day parade, who was on the reviewing platform and where they stood (literally) told you their position in the power structure. If someone who was once close (literally) to the top guy is suddenly notable by his absence, that told you something.

The Soviet Politburo was a model of transparency compared with the Roman Curia, the inner circle of cardinals who oversee the work of the Roman Catholic Church. You have to keep your eyes open to see who has the pope's ear, who's pulling the strings, and who's packing his bags.

There has been a lot of fast toing and froing since the breaking of the Vatileaks scandal in May. And a number of very important and very secret meetings too, including a number of special audiences with Pope Benedict XVI. A number of high-ranking officials have been called into the principal's office, so to speak, to do some `splainin'.

L'Osservatore Romano has just confirmed an unprecedented audience given by the Holy Father on Saturday last to Cardinals George Pell, Marc Ouellet (rumoured to be a top contender for the top spot), Jean-Louis Tauran, Camillo Ruini and Jozef Tomko.

Not among those invited to meet with the pope was Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, who is either the mastermind behind the conspiracy or the victim of the conspiracy, depending on whether you believe him or someone else. Bertone's non-attendance is being interpreted by Vaticanistas as a signal that his day as second-in-command to the pope are just about over. Traditional Catholics and devotees of Our Lady of Fatima would say Bertone's ouster is long overdue.

Beyond the question of whether and when Benedict XVI will decide to replace his closest collaborator, there's an increasingly cogent question of whether or not Bertone's successor could or should be a non-Italian. Except for the few months during which French Cardinal Jean Villot was Secretary of State, at the beginning of the pontificate of John Paul II, there has never been a time when the pope and the secretary of state were both non-Italian.

The idea of having a "foreign" secretary of state finds its justification in the desire to purify the Vatican of what Sandro Magister calls the "Italian intrigues" at the bottom of Vatileaks. Many think the Vatileaks question could have consequences for the future selection of a new pontiff. In fact, the idea that the leaking of documents is the result of Italian intrigues has led to the emergence of two scenarios.

On the one hand there are those who think that it would be better that a future pope not come from Italy. It is for this reason that the name of Cardinal Ouellet is being mentioned, since a North American would be good, but a born-in-the-USA American not so good. On the other hand, there are those who say that it would be better that the pope come from Italy, since only an Italian could understand, let alone unmask and eradicate the intrigues.

For the moment, such discussions remain purely academic. At the time of his elevation, it was thought that Benedict XVI was chosen to be a caretaker, for a short time, pending the emergence of a more worthy successor to John Paul II. Those who took that view evidently failed to remember Leo XIII, who was chosen, after the long pontificate of Pius IX, because he was rather elderly according to the criteria of the time. Leo lived to the age of 93.

More to the point, Leo was possessed of a keen intellect in spite of his "advancing years". In 1891 he issued his famous encyclical Rerum Novarum. This remarkable document -- which modernists in the Church seem to have forgotten about -- gave the Church's response to the class conflict which had risen in the wake of industrialization, and which led to the rise of socialism.

In Rerum Novarum, Leo taught that the role of the state is to promote social justice through the protection of rights, while the Church must speak out on social issues in order to teach correct social principles and ensure class harmony. He restated the Church's long-standing teaching regarding the crucial importance of private property rights, but recognized that the free operation of market forces must be tempered by moral considerations.

Rerum Novarum would be good reading for the leaders of today's world. But don't count on secular humanists like Hollande, Obama and the rest to take it to bed with them any time soon.

Footnote: Walt's updates on what's happening in the Vaticank and in the Church are posted for Father Bill and all others interested in the preservation of the traditional Catholic Faith. This post is based on an article by Sandro Magister, in Chiesa.