Speculation continues to swirl that Cardinal George Pell is in line for a Vatican post, although he has not directly responded to the rumours, The Australian reports. The paper reports that Cardinal Pell was "coy" when asked about reports in a leading Italian newspaper, Il Giornale, that he had been "officially nominated" by Pope Benedict XVI as the successor to Cardinal Battista Re, the current prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
"Who knows about those Italian reports? They are either misinformed or better informed than I am," Cardinal Pell said.
The position would involve overseeing the selection of new bishops around the world. The Italian newspaper claimed that Cardinal Pell's appointment could be announced within weeks.
But, in the meantime, Cardinal Pell is busying himself promoting his new book, Test Everything: Hold Fast to What is Good.
"Writing is certainly something I appreciate," said Cardinal Pell, who has written a weekly column for a Sydney newspaper for the past nine years."
SIC: CTHAUS