Environmental Change: Or More Global Warming toward the Reform of the Reform?

While we are searching the Catholic Blogosphere, Rocco Palmo reports on yet another change in the Vatican Curia, this time no. 2 at the Congregation for the Clergy is put out to pasture so that Cardinal Hummes gets a free hand. The enviroment heats up by just another degree, perhaps?

When I was a Lutheran pastor, there was always talk about the choice of strategies when entering a new parish. Either make all the changes you intend to make in the "honeymoon period" while they are all still too starry-eyed over their new pastor to object; or change nothing for the first six months until you have their confidence and then gradually make the necessary changes. Pope Benedict seems to be very much of the latter opinion.

Note that "Change nothing at all ever" was never seriously considered as an option when entering a new parish; all new clergy always presume that they can improve upon the work of their predecessor. Here too, Pope Benedict appears to be something of an anomoly. His basic view is that he is there to build upon the foundation which others (especially his venerable predecessor, the Great Servant of God John Paul II) have laid. He doesn't seem too fussed that he is getting older every day and certainly has a limited time in which to put his agenda into action. Perhaps that in itself tells us more about the nature of his agenda than anything else.