Archbishop Giacomo Morandi, who was abruptly removed from his office as secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) earlier this week, is “widely believed responsible for a controversial document barring blessings for same-sex couples,” according to an Associated Press report.
Archbishop Morandi’s resignation was accepted in the same week that Pope Francis wrote a congratulatory letter to Sister Jeanne Gramick of New Ways Ministry, thanking her for her efforts to change attitudes toward homosexuality.
The archbishop, who has been moved out of Rome to head an Italian diocese, was also rumored to be unhappy with the move by Pope Francis to suppress the traditional Latin Mass.
The Vatican has not announced a replacement for Archbishop Morandi. The AP report notes that two prelates are listed as “adjunct secretary” to the CDF, and might ordinarily be viewed as candidates to become secretary. But one, the American Archbishop Augustine Di Noia, is 78 years old and overdue for retirement; moreover, he has been primarily responsible for negotiations with traditionalist groups, and that initiative is now clearly not a Vatican priority. The other, Archbishop Charles Scicluna, has other responsibilities as Archbishop of Malta; he has been the Vatican’s specialist in sex-abuse investigations.