It has been decades since the name of a priest has last been advanced with such forcefulness by the Italian "progressive" elite for a position in the Curia. For almost two years, Monsignor Gianfranco Ravasi, Prefect of the great Ambrosian Library of the Archdiocese of Milan and a biblical academic of the Martinian school, has had his named promoted by the Italian nomenklatura close to the "progressives" in the Church. Month after month, his name resurfaces, as if he were an ecclesiastical pet project of the Italian Socialist and Post-Socialist forces. The project? A curial position, a cardinalatial hat, and whatever may result from Ravasi's presence (as leader, popemaker, Great Elector, or...else) in a future conclave, perhaps...
It is true that the name of Montini was widely proposed for a cardinalatial nomination to John XXIII by the more "progressive" forces in Italian politics - but, even though Pius XII did not create him a Cardinal (for chronological reasons, since Montini was named to Milan in 1954, one year after Pacelli's last consistory for the creation of cardinals), he had named him Archbishop of the largest diocese in Italy and his appointment to the College would only be a matter of time.
The Ravasi-mania in the Italian "Catholic progressive" circles is thus unprecedented in recent memory: several reports in the past few weeks assure that the heavy lobbying is finally working and that Ravasi (chosen by Benedict for the Via Crucis readings of 2007) will be named President of the Pontifical Council for Culture (currently occupied by Cardinal Poupard, who will be 77 at the end of the week), a cardinalatial chair - the last paper to present this as a certainty, in a long list of similar articles, was Il Riformista (transcript in Paolo Rodari's weblog).
It is true that the name of Montini was widely proposed for a cardinalatial nomination to John XXIII by the more "progressive" forces in Italian politics - but, even though Pius XII did not create him a Cardinal (for chronological reasons, since Montini was named to Milan in 1954, one year after Pacelli's last consistory for the creation of cardinals), he had named him Archbishop of the largest diocese in Italy and his appointment to the College would only be a matter of time.
The Ravasi-mania in the Italian "Catholic progressive" circles is thus unprecedented in recent memory: several reports in the past few weeks assure that the heavy lobbying is finally working and that Ravasi (chosen by Benedict for the Via Crucis readings of 2007) will be named President of the Pontifical Council for Culture (currently occupied by Cardinal Poupard, who will be 77 at the end of the week), a cardinalatial chair - the last paper to present this as a certainty, in a long list of similar articles, was Il Riformista (transcript in Paolo Rodari's weblog).
