[Paladin2]

"He has a rare opportunity now to clear the decks"

I read that the last Pope took out a non-performing Bishop a month, on average.

[livius]

One of the best gifts of BXVI was that he cleaned up the bishops, mostly through the work of Ouellet. BXVI made some very bad appointments of people in the curia, mostly because he had worked with them for so long he felt beholden, and they completely ignored him.

Ouellet was one of his excellent appointments, and if you have a good bishop, thank him (and BXVI, of course!).

[Mrs. Don-o]

I read that too, and rejoiced, but it wasn't clear to me just what was being claimed here. Did he simply receive their resignations at age 75 (which he has to option to do or not to do)?

Or did he take out guys younger than 75 by making them an offer they couldn't refuse? ("Resign now or I'll depose you" -- or something like that)?

I'd be grateful for clarification on that.