Confirming what had been rumored for weeks, the Holy Father today removed Cardinal Gambetti from his Vatican offices, sending him packing to be Archbishop of Chieti-Vasto.
The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the metropolitan archdiocese of Chieti-Vasto, Italy, presented by Archbishop Bruno Forte.
The Holy Father has appointed His Eminence Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, O.F.M. Conv., as metropolitan archbishop of Chieti-Vasto, Italy, transferring him from the offices of vicar general of His Holiness for Vatican City State, archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican, and president of the Fabric of Saint Peter.
Saint Peter's had been undergoing a secularizing trend throughout the Francis pontificate, even before Gambetti's arrival: from the banning of the Traditional Mass to the strong limitation of 'private' Novus Ordo masses at the several altars, it had often seemed like a vast museum to many pilgrims, its religious character subdued up to the point of erasure. Gambetti's tenure did not improve things on the spiritual level.
Gambetti should never have been named to run it, it was way above his capabilities. Here's praying his successor will be a deeply devout and artistically refined man.
