A rather scathing irony on the inscrutability of Pope Francis’ decisions – as well as on his football opinions – but also a not too veiled dig at the fact that his position involves more responsibility than those of “colleagues” from other dioceses. And even a brush up on the eternal rivalry between Milan and Rome: nothing was missing the archbishop of Milan Mario Delpini in the speech held yesterday from the pulpit of the Como Cathedral during the mass for the city patron Sant’Abbondio, the first celebrated by the new cardinal Oscar Cantoni, bishop of the Como diocese since 2016.
This is why Pope Francis chose the bishop of Como Oscar Cantoni as cardinal and not Mario Delpini
by Paolo Rodari
Right on the recent appointment decided by Pope Bergoglio Delpini paused – as can be seen in the video of Espensione Tv -, who never obtained the purple: “I speak of the Lombard Bishops’ Conference and of all our churches. There have been some somewhat cheeky people who are asked why the pope did not choose the metropolitan (Delpini, ed) to be cardinal and instead chose the bishop of Como – he began – Now, I believe there are good reasons for this. Of course, interpret the Saint’s thought. Father is always a bit difficult. ” And here is the first ironic exit: “Maybe you remember that very lofty expression of an ancient wisdom that said that there are three things that not even the Eternal Father knows: one is how many congregations of nuns are, the other is how much money he has I don’t know which community of religious and the third is what the Jesuits think “.
Having ascertained this – while ensuring that “the wisdom of the Holy Father is clearly revealed to me in this choice” – the Milanese archbishop continued at full speed, illustrating what, according to him, would be the reasons for an appointment that the leaders of the Milanese Curia seem having welcomed with a certain surprise, despite Bergoglio having always had a precise eye on the “minor dioceses” when it comes to granting the cardinal’s purple. “Why did he choose the bishop of Como to be his particular adviser? – he continued from the pulpit, turning to Cantoni – I found at least three reasons. The first is that the pope must have thought that the archbishop of Milan already has so much to do, he is overloaded with work, and therefore he said: the bishop of Como must also work a little and therefore he thought of giving some work to you too “.
Here then is the never resolved diatribe between the real capital and the moral capital of the country: “The second reason is that the Pope probably thought: those ‘bauscias’ of Milan do not even know where Rome is, so it is better not to involve them too much in the government of the universal Church “. To finish with a splash of football teasing – which in Italy never hurts, not even when dealing with the apparently more serious topics – noting that “if I remember correctly, the pope is a fan of River, who has never won anything, and perhaps he thought that those from Como could be a bit in tune, because we know that the Scudetto is in Milan “. And it matters little that in reality Pope Francis is a fan of the San Lorenzo team, the concept passed loud and clear, creating a certain confusion among the faithful present in the church and then on social networks, where someone defined Delpini’s exit. “a rancorous, envious and acid drama”.
On the other hand, in Milan it is well known that the archbishop is very fond of humor: it is no coincidence that last December he inserted a joke in St. Ambrose’s speech to the city, something that none of his predecessors had ever done. And those who know him well remember the relationship of great esteem and affection that binds him to Oscar Cantoni: perhaps precisely by virtue of their long-standing friendship, Delpini has taken some more liberties.