Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone of Italy, a longtime aide to Pope Benedict XVI and the first major church official to speak out against ‘The Da Vinci Code,’ was appointed Thursday as secretary of state, the Vatican’s No. 2 official.
The pope also accepted the retirement of American Cardinal Edmund Szoka, 78, as governor of Vatican City and named Italian archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, 71, the Vatican’s foreign minister, to succeed him.
Szoka is a former archbishop of Detroit.
The appointments nearly fill Benedict’s team, which the German pontiff has been slowly assembling since assuming the papacy 14 months ago.
The Vatican said Benedict accepted the resignation of Cardinal Angelo Sodano, an Italian who has held the post of secretary of state for 15 years and at 78 is three years past the normal Vatican retirement age. The announcement said Sodano would remain in the post until Sept. 15.
Bertone, 71, worked closely for years with Benedict when he headed the powerful Congregation for the Faith, the Vatican’s doctrinal watchdog. Pope John Paul II appointed him archbishop of Genoa in 2002.
I think the AP story though has the picture of the wrong man the picture above I got from his diocese and here is the one accompanying the story.
5 comments
Jeff, you are correct. The AP made a mistake.
That is a picture of Archbishop Lajolo.
How do these appointments “nearly complete Benedict’s team”? He’s still got Kasper, Re, Arinze, Martino, Castrillon-Hoyos, Grocholewski, etc., to replace.
This marks a real sea change. For tons of information about this appointment as well as the appointment of Lajolo see the latest on my blog. Also, I’ve got tons of information and links for Bertone here: http://singinginthereign.blogspot.com/2006/05/next-secretary-of-state.html
Hmmm… I’m not too keen on the lace (never have been). That was one good thing about “the reforms” it mostly did away with the yucky 1950s lace.
Cardinal Angelo Sodano should have retired on time. He is past his game. His condemnation of Isreal was balanced with a condemnation of the terrorists striling Isreal. However, his statement is not realistic. Isreal must defent itself. Death and destruction is nover right, war or not; however, one has a righ to defend their own life and that is what Isreal is doing.
BTW the Church in the US has supported illlegal immigrants. I cna understand their Christian Socialist view of trying to help people. However, the Social Services and eventuall poverty aid of the illegals will have to be paid by someone, the taxpayers. In essence, placing the Government between the illegals needs and those paying the bill is still THEFT. Please re-read the 10 commandments.
Comments are closed.