Vatican City, Aug 16, 2013 / 16:56 pm
A series of seemingly minor appointments may be the forerunners of a Pope Francis "revolution" in the Roman Curia, centered on the Pope who prefers to maintain a small circle of persons around him.
"There is a transition in place, and Pope Francis has his own project, which he shares just with a few people around him," a source who is familiar with the Vatican Secretariat of State told CNA Aug.13.
The transition can be seen, according the source, by several "side appointments" made by Pope Francis, such as those of Archbishop Guido Pozzo, Monsignor Konrad Krajewski, and Msgr. Francesco Camaldo.
These appointments presage the Bishop of Rome's major appointments, and the source maintained that "the revolution will probably start with the appointment of the Secretary of State, awaited for September."
The current Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, was appointed seven years ago, under Benedict XVI. The position is second in the Roman Curia, lower only than the Pope.
Among the "side appointments" was the announcement on a recent Saturday – Aug. 3 – that Archbishop Pozzo would take over his previous post, as secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, the curial office charged with reconciling the ultra-traditionalist Society of St. Pius X.