Vatican: The curia lets the German bishops feel their power – opinion

The seating arrangement in the lecture hall of the Augustinian University on St. Peter’s Square made the balance of power clear right from the start. Upstairs sat, slightly elevated: Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, the Pope’s closest collaborator. Then Luis Ladaria, head of the Office for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Marc Ouellet, head of the Office for the Bishops. The German Catholic bishops sat down in the pews and had to crane their necks like freshmen. Contrary to the announcement, the Pope did not appear at all.