John Allen has a story on the diminishing power of Opus Dei in Benedict XVI's Vatican. It begins:
Posted by armand at February 17, 2007 01:26 PM | TrackBack | Posted to ReligionWith the resignation of Cardinal Julian Herranz as President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts on Thursday, Opus Dei has now lost two of three positions as heads of Vatican offices it once held under Pope John Paul II. The last remaining Opus Dei official who serves as the top official in a Vatican department is Gio Maria Poles, a layman who runs the Labor Office of the Holy See, in effect its personnel office.
Herranz, who will turn 77 in March, was replaced by Auxiliary Bishop Francesco Coccopalmerio of Milan, a protege of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, the former archbishop of Milan. Coccopalmerio becomes an archbishop upon the appointment. Opus Dei's other high-profile Vatican loss came with the July resignation of Spanish layman Joaquin Navarro-Valls as Vatican spokesperson, who was replaced by Italian Jesuit Fr. Federico Lombardi.