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| Paolo Gabriele, front left, has worked for Benedict XVI for five years |
Very interesting article over at Catholic Culture. Read the whole thing there, here's an excerpt.
An echo of the ‘Vatileaks’ scandal?
Yet there was one official of the Roman Curia listed among the new cardinals: Archbishop Harvey, the prefect of the pontifical household. And here we come to the most interesting of the Pope’s selections.
It is not remarkable that the prefect of the pontifical household would become a cardinal. The last two men to hold that position, Cardinals Jacques-Paul Martin and Dino Monduzzi, both received a red hat when they left their post in the apostolic palace. But both of those prelates were entering retirement, whereas Archbishop Harvey, at 63, is still comparatively young.
As he announced that Archbishop Harvey would become a cardinal, Pope Benedict also revealed that he would name the American prelate as archpriest of the Roman basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls. This too is an unusual appointment, since the status of archpriest is usually conferred on a prelate close to retirement age. At 63, with 14 years of service in the apostolic palace, Archbishop Harvey might have been a logical candidate for appointment to a major metropolitan see in his native America. But once a prelate becomes archpriest of a Roman basilica, he is usually there to stay—at least until his retirement from ministry.
The news that Archbishop Harvey will enter the College of Cardinals comes just a day after a Vatican tribunal released its formal verdict in the case of Paolo Gabriele. Is it possible to ignore the fact that Gabriele was a member of the pontifical household, under Archbishop Harvey’s supervision? The Vatican has never disclosed the contents of a report submitted to the Pope by a commission of cardinals assigned to investigate the leaks. It is possible, surely, that the commission suggested some changes in the administration of the pontifical household.
No one has suggested that the Milwaukee native should bear the blame for the “Vatileaks” scandal. Still the fact remains that just as the “Vatileaks” story dies down, Archbishop Harvey is a surprise choice for a red hat and for a new job which, however prestigious, gives him little hope of any further promotion.
2 comments:
(Brian from Illinois): I actually got to meet Archbishop Harvey back in 2010 at a Priest Ordination Mass in Milwaukee. My parents were in town for something else and we found out that we were only a couple of blocks from St. John's Cathedral (yes, THAT Cathedral, lol!!!) and that a Priest was being ordained the next day, so I went. In spite of the wreckovated Cathedral (I'm still trying to figure out if that's really Jesus crucified up there!!!), the Mass Was very nice and I got to meet and briefly talk to Archbishop Harvey afterwards. He was very gracious. There's a report at Vatican Insider that he may have been offered a (arch)diocese in the U.S., but he declined; or otherwise they didn't want him. I seriously doubt that this was a a demotion of any kind. He's been the Prefect of the Papal Household for 14 years now, and is used to being in Rome, for lack of a better term. Let us pray daily for him and the other new Cardinals, and for our Holy Father! :)
... that Cathedral. Sigh. Double Sigh!
I never realized the connection before this article. That is not to say that +Harvey did anything wrong, just that it was under his jurisdiction.
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