VATICAN CITY
Sinchew
by Jean-Louis de la Vaissiere
VATICAN CITY, February 16, 2012 (AFP) – Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday will put his stamp of authority on the institution that will elect his successor as he appoints 22 new cardinals in a tense climate in the Vatican administration.
The new “princes of the Church” will be presented with scarlet-red birettas and gold rings at a grandiose ceremony in St. Peter’s Basilica that Vatican observers say could increase the chances of the next pope being Italian. …
The consistory comes after days of high-profile leaks, corruption allegations and even a discredited report on a plot to kill the pope, which have raised fears of a power struggle at the heart of the Catholic Church.
One of the reported rumours was that the pope is lining up the archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Angelo Scola, to be his successor. Another alleged that the Vatican’s bank was failing to comply with money laundering rules.
The rumours have all been denied by Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi, who this week called for “calm, cold blood and reason” and said the leaks were intended to “sow confusion” and put the Church “in a bad light.”
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