Et in Arcadia, Ego

The bloom is certainly off the rose for some of the brethren of St Blogs, what with the rumors about Archbishop Levada's imminent elevation to Grand Inquisitor.

Nobody asked me but I would recommend a nice sit down, some deep breaths, perhaps a cold beer, something from Bavaria for preference.

For up to this point, no official announcement has been made. And even if the nominee is to be Archbishop Levada, His Excellency of San Francisco is currently in an executive position. The putative new job is an administrative - not to say bureaucratic - one. Different types of jobs require different types of people. It's a truism that a good senator does not necessarily make a good governor or president. A friend whom I consider knowledgeable in the bay area insists that the Archbishop is personally both quite orthodox and rather conservative in the broad sense of the term. But as point man he doesn't stand up well to confrontation. The situation at CDF will be quite different. He will no longer be an isolated executive at odds with a local clergy.

And, anyway, it may still be Cardinal Schoenborn who gets the job.