Surgery delays Parolin’s first day at office

The Vatican’s new Secretary of State, Archbishop Pietro Parolin, has been delayed from taking up his duties because of an “urgent but not serious” operation he was forced to undergo this week while visiting family in northern Italy. 

The archbishop, 58, was unable to attend a handover ceremony in Rome on Tuesday and the Vatican said it would be another ­“several weeks” before he would be able to assume his new office. The reason for the ­surgery was not disclosed.

Pope Francis welcomed and praised Archbishop Parolin in absentia, before officials of the Secretariat of State. He thanked the archbishop’s outgoing predecessor, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone SDB, 78, for his service the past seven years and the “courage and patience” with which he “faced adversity”.

The much-applauded appointment of Archbishop Parolin, which was announced on 31 August, is Pope Francis’ most important personnel move to date and is seen as key to his plans to reform the Roman Curia. Until he arrives, the substitute Secretary of State for ordinary affairs, Archbishop Angelo Becciu, and the secretary for Relations with States, Dominique Mamberti, will presumably cover for Archbishop Parolin. 

The Pope last Saturday named Mgr Ilson Montanari, a 54-year-old Brazilian, ­archbishop secretary (the no. 2 official) of the Congregation for Bishops. The former the­ology professor and seminary rector has been a mid-level official at that same bureau since 2008. It is the first time since 1987 and only the second time since 1967 that someone not already a bishop has been named to the post.

He also promoted Legionary of Christ Fr Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, secretary general of Vatican City State since late August, to the rank of bishop. In a highly unusual letter he said he expected the bishop-elect, 68, to provide Vatican lay employees with “human and Christian formation” and coordinate pastoral and liturgical initiatives of priest employees.

The Pope also named Hungarian Cardinal Péter Erdöoas “relator general” and Italian Archbishop Bruno Forte as “special secretary” of next year’s extraordinary Synod on the Family. The cardinal, 61, is president of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences. Archbishop Forte, 64, is considered one of Italy’s leading theologians.