The “war” between the Vatican and St. John Lateran. Pope Francis takes “revenge” for the closure of Churches to worship and the “Rupnik case”
Saturday 6 April a note arrived from the Vatican press office announcing that the Cardinal Angelo De Donatis and the Jesuit auxiliary bishop Daniele Bibbiari they had been relieved from their Roman duties. Naturally promoveatur ut amoveatur, but the substance does not change, the Pope took them out. Così De Donatis has been appointed as the new Major Penitentiary in the Vatican replacing Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, who has reached the age of 80 and is retiring. A new role was created for Bibbiari, “personal advisor” to the Pope.
De Donatis it had been strongly desired by Pope Francis himself seven years ago but then the harmony between the two had vanished starting from the well-known episode of the closure of the Churches of Rome at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020 in “the name of the Pope”. Instead, Francis knew nothing about it and did not take it well at all, ordering the cardinal the next day to immediately reopen the Roman churches for worship.
However, apart from the current De Donatis case, It's been years since Pope Francis decided to reduce and control the power of the Vicariate which, we remember, reached its peak in the time of Camillo Ruini who had made it a powerful fort from which to attempt to climb to the Petrine throne. Pope Francis had already placed the Roman bishops “under protection” in January 2023 and in particular De Donatis with the Apostolic Constitution called “In Ecclesiarum Communion”. I report the specific passage: “The extensive commitment that the governance of the universal Church requires makes me need help in the care of the diocese of Rome. For this reason I appoint a cardinal as my auxiliary and vicar general (cardinal vicar), who in my name and by my mandate, making use of the collaboration of my other auxiliary bishops, among whom I choose the vicegerent, exercises the episcopal ministry of magisterium, sanctification and pastoral governance for the diocese of Rome with ordinary vicarious power in the terms established by me”. I talked about him here at the time (retrieve the item)
On the replacement of De Donatis In reality, another factor also weighs on the situation, in addition to the aforementioned one of the arbitrary closure of the Churches at the beginning of the pandemic. It's about “Rupnik case”. It concerns the story of Marco Ivan Rupnik, accused by several nuns of: “psychological violence, abuse of conscience, abuse in the sexual and emotional sphere, spiritual abuse”: The Vatican's line had been tough and resolute: the former Holy Office he had excommunicated him and the Jesuits had kicked him out. In this climate, last September, the Roman Vicariate led by De Donatis suddenly spoke of “seriously anomalous procedures”, pitting itself against two authentic aircraft carriers of curial power: the Jesuits and the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. The relevant leaders immediately went to complain to Pope Francis about the imprudence of his vicar De Donatis who had stuck his nose into affairs not pertinent to his role.
But De Donatis insists, does not give up and doubles down to express “well-founded doubts” also about the excommunication inflicted on Father Rupnik. At this point, however, De Donatis finds himself faced with a mountain: it is the Pope himself who reprimands him to stop dealing with tasks that are not his and to limit himself to his role as Roman vicar. De Donatis smells the air and understands that fighting against the Jesuits, former Holy Office and even the Pope himself at the same time is an impossible task and backtracks. So before Christmas, San Giovanni in Laterano, seat of the vicariate, issues a long and detailed statement in which it tries to remedy the mess in the defense of “friend Rupnik”, but now it is too late and Francis has made his decision. Yesterday the formalization with the move to the Curia while the role of Vicar of the Pope for the diocese of Rome is vacant.
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