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VATICAN LETTER Feb-20-2004 (810 words) Backgrounder. xxxi
As his papacy ages, pope finds few familiar faces from early years
By John Thavis
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In mid-March, Pope John Paul II's pontificate will become the third-longest in history, a milestone that attests to the drive and determination of the ailing pontiff.
The calculation of pontificate length is a somewhat tricky business, but on or about March 17 the pope will surpass Pope Leo XIII, who ruled for 25 years and five months a century ago.
In modern papacies, that will leave only the 31-year pontificate of Pope Pius IX ahead of Pope John Paul. By tradition, St. Peter's papacy is counted as the longest, though historians have no certain dates for his reign.
The 83-year-old pope, who suffers from a neurological illness, arthritis and the effects of several operations, is clearly limited today in his mobility, speech and stamina. He apparently has set aside any thought of resignation, however, and continues to preside over a daily schedule of meetings and audiences.
In recent months, he actually has looked and sounded better than he did at his 25th anniversary celebrations last October.
The pope is unlikely to celebrate his March milestone with anything more than a passing thought. But if he reflects on the span of his tenure, he might be struck by a simple fact: There aren't many familiar faces from 25 years ago.
In fact, while the head of the church has remained the same, his key aides have come and gone with great regularity. The pope has bid them goodbye at retirement age and presided at many of their funerals.
Of the 21 Vatican officials who headed major departments when the pope was elected, 16 have died and the remaining five retired long ago. Most Vatican congregations and councils have seen three or four changes of administration under this pope.
Of those officials appointed by Pope John Paul in his early years, only German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger remains in his post as head of the doctrinal congregation -- and he keeps hinting he'd like to leave.
The only aide who has stayed at his job from the start of the pontificate has been Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, the pope's private secretary who came with him from Poland. As a young monsignor, his secretary worked hard to keep up with the pope's pace; today, he's in charge of wheeling the pope from room to room and making sure visitors don't tire him.
The pope is far older than his Roman Curia heads, whose average age is 68. They generally retire at age 75, and currently only two are serving beyond that point, both of them age 76: the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, and Cardinal Ratzinger.
Despite loose talk of an "end-of-regime" mood at the Vatican, the pope has continued to make important curial changes over the last few years and months -- sometimes appointing quite young men to important positions.
In February, he named Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, a 53-year-old Croat, to run the Synod of Bishops. Late last year, he appointed Polish Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, 58, as head of the Pontifical Council for the Laity.
Overall, of the 28 top curial officials, 16 have been appointed during the last five years, and only five have served in their jobs more than 10 years.
The turnover pace at the Vatican is even higher at the middle management levels -- the Nos. 2 and 3 positions in various Vatican departments, where most of the hands-on work is accomplished. Often, these are places where prelates earn recognition and a future promotion.
Of the 45 middle managers at Vatican congregations and councils, more than half have been replaced over the last 18 months.
The new appointees include Archbishop Michael J. Miller, a 57-year-old Basilian priest who came from the presidency of a U.S. university to the No. 2 position at the Congregation for Catholic Education. Another well-watched appointment was that of Italian Bishop Renato Boccardo, 52, as vice president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
U.S. Archbishop John P. Foley, head of the communications council, has been at his post since 1984 -- a few years less than Cardinal Ratzinger. French Cardinal Paul Poupard, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, is the only other department head whose tenure reaches back into the 1980s.
As the figures from Pope John Paul's early years have drifted out of the picture, so have the cardinals who elected him. Today, if the pope wants to reminisce about how it all began, he can chat with only 17 surviving cardinals from his 1978 conclave.
The pope has never commented on his progress through the record books, but the "longest pontificate" countdown is a popular sport among the media. For those looking ahead, the pope would surpass Pope Pius IX in May of 2010 -- two weeks after Pope John Paul's 90th birthday.
END
Copyright (c) 2004 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service.
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