VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter
by John L. Allen Jr. | Mar. 16, 2013
Rome —
In the first clear signal that Pope Francis may be serious about reform, he’s decided that the heads of the various Vatican offices will keep their jobs for now, but he’s not making any definitive appointments.
It’s customary for new popes to swiftly reconfirm the department heads who lose their positions when the previous pontificate ends, and then take his time about bringing in his team. The fact that Francis has not followed that path may suggest that significant personnel moves will come sooner rather than later.
So far, the storyline about Francis has been mostly about style – taking the bus with the other cardinals, preferring to walk rather than being driven, packing his own bags and paying his own hotel bill, and setting aside his prepared texts for off-the-cuff personal reflections.
At some point, however, style will have to give way to substance, and today’s announcement marks the first indication of what that substance might look like.
Vatican-watchers are paying keen attention above all to what Francis does about the all-important position of Secretary of State, held under Benedict XVI by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. Fairly or not, Bertone shoulders most of the blame for perceived breakdowns in business management over the last eight years, and most people presume that Francis will move quickly to bring in his own “prime minister.”
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