"ON YER BIKE CHARLIE"

The Curious Case of Charlie Brown

BY: A Vatican Cleric - A Friend of Bishop Pat and The Oratory

The clerical chattering classes in Rome (and beyond) are abuzz this weekend with news of the very public humiliation by Pope Francis of Archbishop Charles John Brown, who up until this week at any rate was the all-powerful Nuncio to Ireland for the last five years. Without any notice the handsome American has been dispatched to Albania, which may well have many things to recommend it as a country (it is the birthplace of a saint after all - Mother Teresa was born there, but got out as quickly as she could) but in terms of diplomatic postings is the equivalent of being sent to Outer Mongolia. 

Vatican insiders cannot recall such a humiliating appointment since the time of Pope Paul VI, when the liturgist Archbishop Annibale Bugnini C.M. (who steered through the reform of the liturgy following the Second Vatican Council - and lost everything for his troubles) was exiled from the Vatican as Apostolic Pro Nuncio to Iran in 1976. The posting is all the more puzzling as the word on the streets was that Charlie Brown was moving across the Irish See to take up the very prestigious appointment of Nuncio to the Court of St James in London, following the (real) promotion of Archbishop Antonio Mennini who has left to take up an important role  in the Secretariat of State. In fact the influential journal The Tablet speculated just last week that Archbishop Charles Brown was to be named the new Nuncio in London.

So what went wrong? Charles Brown has had a glittering, clerical career from his earliest days as a young priest in Rome when he was spotted by then then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger who invited him to come and work in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. To be sure the Cardinal had an eye for handsome young priests (look at his secretary) and many eyes were raised as Charles Brown was never considered a leading intellect. When his boss became Pope, Brown was suddenly catapulted into the maelstrom of Ireland as Nuncio (considered a senior posting in Church terms) even though he wasn't a diplomat and had not been through the Church's school for diplomats, the Academia. In fact he was as surprised as everyone else. He owed his promotion not only to Pope Benedict, but to the then Secretary of State, one Cardinal Bertone. Like Brown, Bertone was not a diplomat either and had worked for Ratzinger in the CDF. The truth was that the pope did not trust diplomats, considering them part of the liberal Paul VI elite who dominated the Vatican and Holy See even in the time of John Paul II. Bertone's appointment was a disaster and the chaos he caused more than anything else led to the decision of Benedict to stand down.

With the resignation of Benedict and the election of Pope Francis, the diplomatic  Paul VI faction came back centre stage, led by Cardinals Sodano and Re - both protoges as young priests of Pope Paul. Bertone was booted out and his job given to Archbishop Pietro Parolin, another pupil of Paul (and a man to watch as a future pope). Ever so slowly, but with ruthless efficiency  every single appointee of Bertone (and Benedict, therefore) has been exiled, or sidelined and demoted. Charles Brown was an appointee of Bertone, and he has paid the price of being on the wrong side in this pontificate. 

AMY WITH CAP

Apart from the sycophantic words of Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, there won't be too many tears shed in Ireland as the New Yorker heads for Tirana and oblivion. He was singleminded in his control of every episcopal appointment in Ireland, appointing middle managers and also-rans as bishops and archbishops. The bishops feared him, the priests resented him. He had that smug air of a man who thinks he knows everything and knows best.  He will have a lot of time to reflect from the run-down nuncio in Albania. , "Where did it all go wrong", he may well opine.


PAT SAYS:

That you Vatican Friend for your piece.

Charlie Brown has definitely GOT THE SACK and being DEMOTED.

Rumours from Rome are giving various reasons:

1. The Gaynooth and the Tuam Baby Scandals.

2. Being too friendly with the Irish Bishops.

3. Being too informal - photographed out in jogging gear.

4. Anger from priests on the type of man being promoted to bishop.

5. Disapproval by one or two senior Irish bishops who talked in Rome during the recent Ad Limina.


There is also talk that during the recent Enda Kenny visit to Rome many criticisms were leveled at Brown from political circles.

Yesterday in the USA Enda Kenny said:

“I referred a number of matters to the Pope when I met with him last year and I would expect that the Vatican would respond to those.”


Of course Brown only got to the Vatican on the basis of his good looks.

Cardinals and bishops in Rome like to surround themselves with good looking young priests - sometimes as ornaments and sometimes as "PLAY THINGS"

Now that Charlie is heading for 60 his days are coming to an end.


Anyway the ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH is finished in Ireland.

Any new nuncio will simply continue to OVERSEE DECLINE AND SHRINKAGE.