A letter written by Benedict was published as an introduction to a book by former Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.

The book was titled "Faith and the Common Good: The Christian Proposal to Contemporary Society".

In the letter to Cardinal Bertone, Benedict wrote that "the service of a shepherd cannot be only limited only to the Church".

This is even though "in the first place, we are entrusted with the care of the faithful and of those who are directly seeking faith".

The Church, he maintained, "is part of the world, and therefore it can properly play its service only if it takes care of the world in its entirety".

The Pope emeritus wrote that the "Word of God concerns the totality of reality, and this actuality places on the Church a general responsibility".

This is the reason why the Church "must be involved in the efforts that humanity and society put into action" for a path toward justice.

It is also why the Church must "find a way of reasoning" that would also include non-believers.

"Pastoral care does not just deal with the fact that we in the Church provide to the faithful the service of the Sacraments and of the announcement of the Gospel," Benedict XVI wrote.

Pastoral care, he explained, "definitely includes the intellectual dimension".

That means that "only if we share the perspective and questions of our times we will be able to understand the Word of God in present times".

Benedict XVI added that "only if we (shepherds) take part in the opportunity and needs of our times, will the sacraments reach out to men with their actual strength".

Sources

• Catholic News Agency
• Image: The Guardian

I am strolling on the roof of the Palazzo San Carlo with the man who for eight years was the most powerful person in the Vatican after the pope: Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's former secretary of state.

For decades, he's been one of the church's most powerful officials — and he's been suspected of playing a central role in some of the Curia's most mysterious intrigues, including last year's allegations that he mishandled millions of dollars through the Vatican Bank.

Sunlight gleams off the towering cupola of St. Peter's, that Roman sunlight which already portends the arrival of spring.

This terrace has for months been presumed to be part of Bertone's lavish — and widely criticized — retirement complex: a 2500-square-foot luxury apartment with a view of the city.

But the terrace is shared, and the supposed extravagance of the balcony can in fact be enjoyed by everybody in the building, without giving direct access to Bertone's apartment.

He gives a sly smile.

"A certain cardinal told me this would be a magnificent place to relax and meditate. But it was not up to me to decide," he says.

"Despite what has been written and said, it does not belong to me; it is for the use of all the building's residents."

Bertone lives here in an apartment on the third floor that for decades was the home of Camillo Cibin, the legendary head of security for John Paul II.

The condominium resembles many others in the Vatican area.

At first glance, Bertone's home is not more than 1000 square feet, comprising two small secretarial rooms for his secretary, a living room, a long corridor, a private chapel, a bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom and a small terrace filled with grapes, olives and jasmine.

The room that serves as library and study is a whole other story.

There is a glass cabinet where the cardinal keeps his treasured Fiats: little red models of the Ferrari Formula One, black-and-white scarves and Juventus soccer balls autographed by the players.

For years, Bertone chose to be silent in the face of all the accusations that came down on him.

But now, 80 years old and no longer at the top of the Vatican hierarchy, he has decided to get a few things off of his chest — first, by showing his home, where those little models are perhaps the most valuable furnishings.

As for the secrets and machinations that he has been accused of, he is "collecting material" for an upcoming writing project.

The biggest of the accusations he will address by writing in his own hand the truth about the long, tormented era when he governed the church under three different popes, two of whom are now his neighbors.

Your Eminence, why is everybody out to get you?

Well... they say there are two motives. The first is because I was nominated as secretary of state without going through the Vatican's channels of diplomacy.

An exception to tradition.

You could say that. Since the transition is so venerated, it was not well received.

The second reason?

It concerns the job I performed. During the eight years I served as secretary of state, I executed my duties in perfect compliance with the pope, but [I] took actions, began procedures, reformed offices and made appointments that involved the advancement or exclusion of some people. And this might have made certain of them dissatisfied. But there was also a certain outrage...

Why outrage?

Well, it is undeniable that some of the problems we had to face were dramatic, the pedophile question for instance. I also worked to launch procedures for economic transparency and anti-laundering legislation. In the beginning, Benedict's papacy looked promising; but successive developments, including certain moments of tension, were intentionally provoked against the church. Perhaps, in some way, so were the attacks against me.

They wanted to harm the pope?

Somebody thought about it and somebody also wrote about it.

Ratzinger's papacy was extremely different from that of his predecessor.

Of course. But it developed in relation to that of his predecessor. Pope John Paul II thought very highly of Cardinal Ratzinger and led the church with his permanent and continual support, not just on a doctrinal and intellectual level but also, regarding certain aspects, in accordance with his vision of administration. There was, therefore, continuity between the two popes.

With a difference in communication abilities...

Yes, but also a difference in character.

But we must appreciate that Pope Benedict, in his turn, led the church as a priest enlightened not only spiritually, but technologically.

First as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and then as pope, he met thousands of bishops, listened to them one by one and kept abreast of local situations until he built up a global vision that allowed him to create guidelines and govern the church universally.

At a certain point [though], he felt the burden of not being able to continue this method of direct, concrete knowledge — that is, physical contact with local communities as Pope John Paul II had done before him and as Pope Francis is doing now.

It was a thought that troubled him until he realized that there was need of a pope with sufficient energy to travel and continue these meetings all over the place in person.

In other words, Pope Benedict's was a sort of unfinished papacy.

On the contrary. It was a courageous papacy.

Before every trip journalists would write that he wouldn't be able do it.

They would predict insufficient, substandard results and flops. But I think about the trips to Turkey and England that I made with him, to World Youth Day in his native Cologne when he led more than a million youths in silent prayer before the Body of Christ.

How surprised were you by his decision to leave?

I had guessed it, but put it out my thoughts.

I knew long in advance, at least seven months before. And I had many doubts.

We debated the topic at length after it seemed already decided. I told him: Holy Father, you must bestow upon us the third volume on Jesus of Nazareth and the encyclopedia of faith, before you sign things over to Pope Francis. Continue reading

Image: WN.com

At the time, Bertone was the Vatican's Secretary of State, having traveled to a village in northern Patagonia "in the name of His Holiness Benedict XVI" to preside over the beatification of a turn-of-the-century religious student.

Bertone's wooden armchair sits on a dais that puts him a good six inches higher than Bergoglio, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, who perches uncomfortably on his metal-and-plastic seat, and the man known to many as the "vice-pope" occupies his virtual throne with kingly complacency, clad in yards of fine Italian filetto lace beneath his golden chasuble, with a sporty pair of aviator sunglasses to complement his gold-embroidered miter (and is that a Rolex on his wrist?).

Next to him, in Jesuit black under plain white robes, Cardinal Bergoglio, with his iron cross and his horn-rimmed spectacles, looks open-mouthed upon the radiant spectacle, his famously mobile face providing the perfect caption to the picture.

Six years later, Bergoglio became Pope Francis, and things have not been the same since.

On May 19, the glossy, gossipy German newspaper Bild Zeitung printed a report that made immediate headlines in Italy: Vatican prosecutors had begun to investigate allegations that Cardinal Bertone, as the Holy See's Number Two from 2006 to 2013, had embezzled 15 million euros ($20 million) from Vatican accounts, apparently to benefit an Italian television producer, a former director of the state broadcaster RAI named Ettore Bernabei, with deep connections to Italy's conservative establishment and a longtime membership in the powerful Catholic organisation Opus Dei.

The transfer of these funds allegedly occurred in December 2012. The Vatican press corps swiftly denied that a "criminal investigation" was underway, and Bertone himself insisted that the deal had followed "all the rules." Continue reading.

Source: New York Review of Books

Image: Agencis Rio Negro

The reason for the surgery was not made known at the time, but a Vatican source later said the 58-year-old archbishop — seen as the key person to implement the reform of the Roman Curia — had appendicitis.

Though the ceremony was supposed to be a genuine changing of the guard, the focus remained on the retiring secretary, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.

The cardinal, who for seven years held the post of head of Vatican diplomacy and effectively "prime minister" of the Holy See, was blamed for many of the gaffes and problems of the papacy of Benedict XVI, including the Vatileaks scandal.

In a short address reviewing his years of service, Cardinal Bertone said he hoped Archbishop Parolin would be able "to untangle the knots that still prevent the Church from being in Christ the heart of the world, the longed-for and incessantly invoked horizon".

He acknowledged the scandals that had beset Pope Benedict XVI, saying the now-retired Pope had "suffered greatly on account of the ills that plagued the Church and for this reason he gave her new legislation in order to strike out decisively the shameful phenomenon of paedophilia among the clergy, without forgetting the initiation of new rules in economic and administrative matters".

Thanking the cardinal, Pope Francis praised "the courage and patience with which you have faced adversities — and there have been many".

Unlike Cardinal Bertone, Archbishop Parolin is an experienced Vatican diplomat. Pope Francis chose him to head the Secretariat of State only days after he was elected — even though he had met the archbishop only once.

"The truth is that I haven't spoken much with him and I think that when I have the chance, I'll ask him why he named me," Archbishop Parolin told Venezuela's El Universal newspaper.

Sources:

The Tablet

Associated Press

Vatican Insider

Catholic News Agency

Image: The Dialog

Paolo Gherri, who teaches the theology of canon law at the Pontifical Lateran University, said he believes the Pope has chosen "people with his same kind of approach" and he saw their role as "a sort of think tank working on new guidelines of ecclesiastical policy".

He pointed out that all eight of the cardinals chosen by Pope Francis are residential archbishops, meaning that none of them work in the Roman Curia, and only one is Italian.

In an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, the secretary of the group of cardinals, Bishop Marcello Semeraro, said the possibility of the secretary of state's powers being diminished "should not be excluded".

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who served as secretary of state under Pope Benedict XVI, is said to have been a divisive figure within the Vatican and was widely seen as the target of the so-called Vatileaks campaign involving confidential Church documents leaked to the press last year.

Bishop Semeraro recalled that it was Pope Paul VI who bestowed "the secretary of state with supervising and co-ordinating" the Vatican bureaucracy known as the Curia during his 1963-78 pontificate.

"But now, nearly half a century has gone by. We must re-adapt these structures according to the needs of the Church today," he said.

The collaborator of a cardinal who took part in the conclave that elected Pope Francis revealed to CNA that "the pre-conclave meetings also dealt with the role and function of the secretariat of state".

Ways to improve the Roman Curia's efficiency were also suggested, since many cardinals had experienced how slowly Rome responds to their requests and how the Curia's bureaucracy can stall procedures for months.

Sources:

Catholic News Agency

ANSA

Image: The Telegraph

Since the Pope has already written encyclicals on hope and charity, there has long been speculation that he would address the third theological virtue with an encyclical on faith. Such a document could coincide with the opening of the Year of Faith on October 11.

In March this year, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said an encyclical on faith "has only ever been a hypothesis — acceptable, but a hypothesis". He added that it "was not a precise plan that the Pope has spoken about".

Last summer, the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano revealed the Pope was working on a "reflection on faith" that would form part of the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone told reporters that Pope Benedict had completed his third Jesus of Nazareth book, which focuses on the Gospels relating to Jesus' childhood.

The cardinal had just celebrated Mass in the parish of Introd, a village in the Valle d'Aosta region of the northern Italian Alps, where he is on holiday. He said the book would be "a great gift for the Year of Faith".

"We will read the third book by Benedict XVI avidly and with great relish," he predicted.

The Pope completed the text while on vacation at his summer residence of Castel Gandolfo outside of Rome.

The Vatican confirmed the news, saying the volume is currently being translated from the original German into several languages.

The two previous Jesus of Nazareth books were published in seven languages as well as electronically, with more than one million copies sold.

Sources:

National Catholic Register

Catholic News Agency

Image: Lux Veritatis 7

The main ingredients are the leaked confidential papers of Pope Benedict XVI in an incident that has led to interpretations of such battles for influence inside the Curia that Der Spiegel claims that the "mood at the Vatican is apocalyptic."

Turmoil has followed the arrest and imprisonment of papal valet, Paolo Gabriele, in a 377-square-foot cell, one window, no TV, that most people did not know lies deep in the Vatican maze, with the explanation that the butler did it, or, rather, the butler is taking the fall in a plot, code-named, honest to God, Maria, engineered by high-ranking officials to circulate papers damaging two close papal aides, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, and Benedict's secretary from the old country, Monsignor Georg Ganswein. Despite deep-sixing the butler, the Dreyfuss of this comic opera, new documents have surfaced with the threat of more to come if Bertone and Ganswein are not forced out of their jobs. Read more

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: The Telegraph

The letter, released on July 4, was dated July 2, just before the Pope left on his summer vacation at Castel Gandolfo.

In it, the Pope expresses "deep gratitude for your discreet closeness and enlightened advice, which I have found particularly helpful in recent months".

The time reference significantly refers to months marked by the leaking of confidential documents, the arrest of the Pope's butler, and the controversy over the Vatican bank and the dismissal of its now former director, Ettore Gotti Tedeschi.

The Pope adds: "Having noted with sorrow the unjust criticisms that have been directed against your person, I wish to reiterate the expression of my personal confidence, which I already declared to you in a letter on January 15, 2010, the contents of which remain unchanged as far as I am concerned."

Cardinal Bertone, the Pope's right-hand man, has been widely seen as the target of the so-called Vatileaks campaign involving the leaking of confidential Church documents.

This has fuelled speculation that the cardinal — who is more than two years beyond the mandatory retirement age of 75 — might soon step down from his powerful position.

Cardinal Bertone did submit his resignation, as required, when he turned 75 in December 2010, but in a letter dated January 15, 2010, the Pope declined to accept his resignation.

Now, in referring back to what he wrote in that letter, the Pontiff has made it clear that his thoughts on the question of Cardinal Bertone's retirement "remain unchanged".

Sources:

Vatican Insider

Catholic News Agency

Image: Freeforumzone

That instinct seemed to be the principal subtext to Benedict XVI's June 1-3 outing to Milan.

Formally, Benedict made the short trip north to attend the seventh "World Meeting of Families," a Vatican-organized event held every three years to celebrate marriage, youth and the family. In context, however, the trip also offered an opportunity for the Catholic rank and file to embrace Benedict amid one of the greatest trials of his papacy, the mushrooming Vatileaks scandal.

That, at any rate, is how Vatican officials have touted what happened. In an interview with Italian TV, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Secretary of State (and, according to many analysts, the principal target of the leaks), referred to the "extraordinary display of love for the pope and ... support for him and his magisterium" witnessed in the streets of Milan, as well as among the more than 1 million people who turned out for Sunday Mass at Bresso Park.

Bertone said it was significant that such affection, including "frenetic" applause for the pope wherever he went, poured out "in this particular moment" — and by that, of course, he meant the current atmosphere of scandal. Continue reading

Sources

• John L Allen Jr in National Catholic Reporter
• Image: thestar.com

The Pope received Mara in an official audience for the presentation of his Letters of Credence on Friday 5 May at the Clementine Hall in Vatican City. He was received with four other new non resident ambassadors fro Ethiopia, Ireland, Armenia, and Malaysia.

As has become tradition the Holy Father, speaking in French, delivered one general address to the group which focused on how openness to God in society can help overcome the 'spiritual and material' poverty that the current economic crisis has produced.

The Fiji Sun reports that "in receiving Mara, Pope Benedict wished Fiji well for its development agenda in the social, economical and political arenas."

The Sun also reported that before meeting the Pope Mara briefed senior Vatican officials and had separate meetings with the Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone and the Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti.

Mara briefed the Vatican officials on the implementation of the Bainimarama government's roadmap to democracy and sustainable socio-economic development, the recently announced constitutional consultation proces.

Mara said the objective of the process is to formulate an all-inclusive and truly representative constitution by 2013 and democratic election by 2014.

He said Cardinal Bertone welcomed his written and oral presentation and conveyed the Vatican's support towards the realisation of the objectives of the People's Charter.

Cardinal Bertone and Archbishop Mamberti in wishing Fiji well both assured Mr Mara that the country will be remembered in their prayers as it progresses towards its political objective in the months ahead.

Cinq nouveaux ambassadeurs non-résidents reçus par le pape

Source

• The Fiji Sun
• TheCatholicSpirit.com
• Image: www.daylife.com

Despite the documents appearing to have different levels of importance, Lombardi described the situation as "very sad".

He called on the press to "make careful distinctions," to not "just throw everything together" nor allow the reality of the situation to be "swallowed up in a whirlpool of confusion."

Reuters' is labeling the events as "monsignors' mutiny", and reports that almost daily embarrassments have put the Vatican on the defensive at a time when the Church faces a crisis of authority and relevance in the wider world.

"It is a total mess" said another high-ranking Vatican official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The leaks include

• letters by an archbishop who was transferred after he blew the whistle on what he saw as a web of corruption and cronyism
• a poison pen memo which put a number of cardinals in bad light
• new suspicions about the Vatican Bank
• a cardinal complaining about another cardinal who spoke of an assassination attempt against the pope
• a memo from the cardinal in charge of financial oversight warning that a new law against money-laundering could be seen as a "step back" from reform, potentially creating "alarm" in the international community and among regulatory agencies.

Reuters believes the leaks are part of a campaign against the Vatican Secretary of State, and the pope's right hand man, Cartinal Bertone.

Bertone's reputation is one of a 'heavy-handed' power-broker who has alienated the Vatican's bureacuracy.

The job, traditionally occupied by a career diplomat, Bertone came to office with no diplomatic experience, rather being known to the pope by working under him when the pontiff was head of the powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The embarrassing leaks have come at what is normally a joyful week when the pope admits more men into the College of Cardinals, the group who will eventually select his successor.

Sources

• Vatican Information Service
• Reuters
• NCR
• Image: The Deacon's Bench