Whispers in the loggia: The Francis Inquisition – Amid Tumult on Amoris and Abuse, Pope Switches Hands at CDF

Capping a week of shockwaves at the topmost levels of the Roman Curia, at Roman Noon this Saturday, the Pope declined to reconfirm Cardinal Gerhard Müller as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the close of the German's first five-year mandate, and handed the reins of the "Holy Office" to its longtime #2 official, Archbishop Luis Ladaria SJ.

Despite the delicacy of the formal terms, the move can indeed be viewed as Francis' ouster of the 69 year-old German,  who brought a combination of firmness on moral teaching and affinity for liberation theology to the Doctrine office upon his appointment by then-Pope Benedict XVI five years ago tomorrow.

Likewise a veteran collaborator of Joseph Ratzinger over the latter's quarter-century at the CDF's helm, Ladaria, 73, has served as the congregation's secretary since 2008. With his ascent to its top post, the Spanish Jesuit takes on the additional duties linked to the role: the presidencies of the International Theological Commission, the Pontifical Biblical Commission and the Ecclesia Dei Commission, which oversees the church's relations with traditionalist groups and governs the use of the "Extraordinary Form" of the Roman rite. (On a related front, Ecclesia Dei is the Curial organ responsible for the ongoing reconciliation talks with the Society of St Pius X, which have notched multiple major inroads over the last year, paving the way to the Swiss-based group's potential return to communion with the Catholic church.)

In making the shift official roughly 18 hours after reports began to swirl that Müller had been notified of his departure in an audience yesterday with the Pope, the Holy See gave no indication of the 69 year-old cardinal's next assignment. While some speculation has tipped the theological heavyweight for the role of Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, as of late Friday Whispers ops close to that post's current holder, Cardinal Edwin O'Brien, were blindsided on learning of the rumors, and said that the 78 year-old prelate – who was en route to the US for this holiday weekend – had received no word of any move.

While the departing CDF chief had drawn considerable attention for staking out a skeptical position on Francis' openings in Amoris Laetitia toward the civilly remarried and others in difficult situations, it bears recalling that Müller had come in for ferocious criticism by survivors of clergy sex-abuse and their advocates given the office's role in supervising cases. Above all, the cardinal was roundly blasted by the prominent Irish survivor Marie Collins, who resigned her seat on the Pope's new Commission for the Protection of Minors in April over the congregation's refusal to comply with Francis' directive that they reply to inquiries sent by victims.

Developing – more to come.

-30-
by Rocco Palmo via Whispers in the Loggia