Changes in Rome?

Catholic blogs are reporting rumors of a shake up...has anybody heard anything specific? Here's a quote from Rocco Palma:

"Monday, August 22, 2005 Whole Lotta Shakeup Goin' On.... Last night, I reported this:

The more discreet types in Roman life have been breathing sighs of relief that the first summer of the pontificate had WYD as a "buffer." If it didn't, so the argument goes, the curial reshuffle would've been the dominant item on everyone's mind and there would've been much more anxiety and spatting than there's been. Now, with a successful jaunt in Cologne under the Pope's belt, August winding down and the Curia getting ready to reopen for business, center stage at the Vatican belongs to the Pope's internal agenda -- what he wants and who will end up where.... As one operative said it, "Things could get rather kooky over here." This afternoon, Papabile enters the fray: "The first ten days of September will leave everyone's head spinning. Combine those with reports from three continents that certain prelates have already been given happy news and are preparing for new assignments in Rome, and you can see -- again -- that something BIG is afoot. The strategy at work here is to have it done early and done quickly, lest everyone get too comfortable at their desks coming back from vacation....

What's more, as the dicastery heads are all ex officio members of the Synod of Bishops, it just makes better sense for the New Curia to be appointed prior to the 2 October opening of the Synod on the Eucharist, so the incoming prefects and presidents can take their seats in the Hall and be able to mix it up the bishop-delegates coming to town from around the world. Encouraging good working relationships is what you do when you want your bureaucracy to be a collegial one, and the Pope has explicitly given his commitment to that.

When the boom gets lowered, don't say I didn't tell you. I've been talking about it for months now."

By subscription only. Please consider an on-line subscription to CWNews.com.

Age of Vatican officials fuels talk of Curia overhaul

Vatican, Aug. 30 (CWNews.com) - Cardinal Paul Poupard, the president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, celebrates his 75th birthday today. In accordance with canon law, he has therefore submitted his resignation to Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news). Pope Benedict is free to accept the French cardinal's resignation on his own schedule.

Cardinal Poupard, who has served in the Roman Curia since 1980, has held his current post since 1988-- longer than any other head of a Vatican dicastery. He and Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the Vatican archivist, are the only French cardinals now serving in the Curia.

Cardinal Ignace Moussa I Daoud, the prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, will mark his own 75th birthday on September 18, causing another potential opening in the Roman Curia.

However, several leading Vatican officials are already beyond the normal retirement age. Cardinal Angelo Sodano (bio - news), the Secretary of State for nearly 15 years, is 77. Cardinal Edmund Szoka, governor of the Vatican city-state, will be 78 in September. Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos (bio - news), prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, is 76.

Other important officials are closing in on retirement age. Cardinal Stephen Fumio Hamao, president of the Pontifical Council for Migrants, will be 75 in March. Cardinal Julian Herranz, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts-- the body responsible for interpretation of canon law-- will turn 75 next July.

Shortly after his election, Pope Benedict re-appointed all of the heads of Vatican offices, whose mandates had automatically lapsed with the death of Pope John Paul II (bio - news). But the Pope is expected to make changes in the Roman Curia sometime in the near future, and the age of several important prelates will be a factor in his decisions.

Before he became Roman Pontiff, Cardinal Ratzinger spoke about the need for a reform of the Curia. He might use the resignations of some prelates as an opportunity to change the duties of the offices they have headed, or to merge existing dicasteries with other Vatican agencies.

Vatican-watchers speculate that the Holy Father could make important changes in the Roman Curia during the month of September. The new Vatican leaders appointed by Pope Benedict could then be ex officio participants in the Synod on the Eucharist, which will be held in Rome during the month of October.

Homosexual orientation is objectively disordered even when not acted upon.

????? I'm not convinced.

After spending 10 years in San Francisco, I observed that there are at least two kinds of gays.....those who choose it as a sexual preference and those who are truly born with some gene that makes them gay. Those choosing homosexuality seem mentally ill, at least to me. The born-gay fellows are in a different category altogether. They may still be total jerks, of course, and wildly promiscuous. But conceivably they might decide to simply set aside any thoughts of sexuality and behave in a most prudent and proper manner, same as heterosexual priests who set aside their sexual urges.

Giving up sex is extremely difficult for gay or straight men. But if they are intelligent, educated, and making their vocational choices with God's grace, I really would care about their "orientation" if they remain celibate, as their vows require.

OTOH, no one on this thread is as rabidly against gay-agenda priests as I. I want that behavior to end immediately and have no sympathy for those who are lenient with such miscreants.

I realize that a celibate gay man may be outright saintly in his effort to repair his condition. Certainly, there is no sin he is committing. But even a saint may not be qualified to be a priest. For example, a woman saint cannot be a priest. There is one man in Los Angeles who has no hands due to thelidamyde. He is renowned for the fact that he played a guitar with his feet to the late Pope. Well, that man wanted to study for priesthood and the seminary and ultimately the Vatican said that he cannot be a priest without hands. "One needs a finger and a thumb", as he himself put it.

A chaste gay man is in this category. Through no fault of his own, he cannot enter into the spiritual marriage with the Church, because he cannot enter into a bodily marriage with a woman.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.