Word: vaticans
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Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone doesn't have the guarded air of those who tend to rise to the heights of Vatican power. He smiles easily. He laughs out loud. His oval face and dark, bespectacled eyes show no sign of scars from the bureaucratic battles that accompany most climbs up the Roman Curia career ladder. A few years ago, I saw Bertone walking alone on a side street near St. Peter's and went over to say hello and shake his hand. He stopped on a dime when he heard his name, turning toward me with his arms spread open...
...oversees church orthodoxy. Promoted in 2002 to Archbishop of Genoa, Bertone attained the rank of Cardinal the next year and was thought to be among the core group in the conclave that pushed for Ratzinger's election. Still, since he didn't have the usual résumé from the Vatican diplomatic corps, many were surprised when his old boss, now Pope Benedict XVI, tapped him to take over in September as Vatican Secretary of State, the No. 2 slot in the entire Catholic Church hierarchy, behind only the Pope himself...
Bertone sat down last week with TIME for a rare interview in the sunny 15th century Vatican tower that serves as his temporary office while the Secretary of State's quarters are being remodeled. "The Holy Father has shown to have great trust in me," Bertone says, recalling their years at the doctrinal office. "We were the consummate duo. We've always gotten along personally, and there is a mutual understanding that continues to be the basis for our work together." It's the kind of affinity--similar to what U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is said to have...
Although he shares the same title as the chief U.S. diplomat, the Vatican Secretary of State is more like a Prime Minister, responsible not only for foreign policy but also for overseeing church headquarters at the Roman Curia, being the Vatican link to Catholic organizations and officials around the world, and even stepping in for the Pope if he falls ill or is unavailable. While Pope John Paul II's constant travels kept him somewhat separated from the workings of the Vatican bureaucracy, Benedict and Bertone are instead expected to work hand in hand on all matters, foreign and domestic...
Michelangelo did not, as legend has it, paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel lying down. He stood up, neck craned back, for the entire enterprise. That scholarly judgment is just one of many in The Sistine Chapel (Harmony Books; 271 pages; $60), an intensive look at the Vatican's most famous treasure. The book's seven essays give due credit to other artists who embellished the Renaissance chapel of Pope Sixtus IV, including Botticelli and Raphael. But the focus is on Michelangelo, whose preference for bright colors is coming to light as restorers clean centuries of candle soot, grime...