What is taking place these days around the Order of Malta is not just a power struggle, nor does it concern only the issue of the Order of Malta’s sovereignty being at risk. The situation also says a lot about how Pope Francis conceives his power, the way he views the Holy See, and [...]

In 2013, shortly after the election of Pope Francis, the veteran Vatican watcher John Allen went to Argentina to learn more about the history and life of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio and to sketch his personality profile. From his research, some ambiguous situations emerged on the response by Bergoglio on two cases of [...]

As rumors about the next consistory, the reform of the Curia, and the new appointments to the Vatican spread, Pope Francis has simply slowed down the reform process, leaving everything to be determined. The latest move was to appoint Archbishop Giacomo Morandi, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, [...]

An old juridical principle is that “Prima sede a nemine iudicatur,” i.e., the head seat cannot be prosecuted by anyone. And it is the principle that the Vatican prosecutors seem to invoke when, in the interrogation of Monsignor Alberto Perlasca, whose audio was leaked, they say that no, Monsignor Perlasca would not want [...]

2021 did not end, as many expected, with the reform of the Curia. 2022, on the other hand, could begin with the announcement of a new consistory, which was expected to take place in November and which should instead take place in February.

Pope Francis’ 2021 was the year of the change of [...]