Cardinal Sodano cronies still wield power

Vatican Insider has a fascinating review of Curial politics - following various findings in the "Vatileaks". One confirmation of rumours is the ongoing influence of former Secretary of State Angelo Cardinal Sodano. Unfortunately, this man still remains Dean of the College of Cardinals. His past relationship with the Legionaries of Christ and his bungled public announcements over various sexual scandals (that incommoded the present reigning Pontiff,) clearly mark this man as an incompetent. Let us leave it at that. 

John Paul II’s powerful personal secretary, Stanislao Dziwisz, was promptly promoted as Cardinal of Cracow, but other Wojtylians still remain in the Roman Curia and they are making their influence over papal bureaucracy felt. For example the dean of the Sacred College, Angelo Sodano and pro-Wojtyla cardinals Leonardo Sandri, Giovanni Battista and Jean-Louis Tauran. They are the leaders of the so-called “diplomatic school” which is at the helm of the ecclesiastical Academy in Rome’s Piazza della Minerva. The papal embassies which weave the network of Vatican relations across the globe are home to nuncios loyal to Sodano, such as Luigi Ventura (France), Pietro Parolin (Venezuela), Gabriele Caccia (Beirut) and Piero Pioppo (Cameroon). Set against the old diplomatic guard, since 2006, is the current loyal to the Vatican Secretary of State, the Salesian canonist, Tarcisio Bertone. Members of this current include the Curia cardinals and Salesian brothers Raffaele Farina and Angelo Amato. Crucially, Bertone’s lot have an influence on Vatican finances.