The Ruins Left by Bergoglio
These are troubled times, marked by sleepless nights for many monsignors of the Curia, who have been trying to scrutinise the new Pope's preferences in every way, hunting for contacts that will allow them to support the winner.
Despite Pope Francis smiling for the cameras and loving 'popular manners', his Curia was anything but cheerful. Only a lucky few enjoyed the benevolence of the highly suspicious Jorge Bergoglio, who needed only a few whispers of gossip to ruin careers in a flash.
Therefore, Cardinal Ruini wrote in Corriere della Sera after Francis's death that he hoped for the election of a 'good pope' who would be able to heal the many fractures caused by Francis's chaotic administration.
The Italian cardinals have exploited their relationship with Pope Francis for their own propaganda purposes, often in the salons of Roman high society.
One of these cardinals is the archpriest of St Peter's Basilica, the most powerful friar in the Vatican, at least during the Francis era: Cardinal Mauro Gambetti.
Before pursuing a career in the clergy, Gambetti planned to become an entrepreneur and perhaps a benefactor, and he became engaged to Cristina.
Bergoglio’s idea was to appoint a Franciscan friar to one of the Vatican's wealthiest positions to promote his narrative of poverty.
However, St Peter's is also the ticket office for visits to the dome, generating several million euros a year. The archpriest is responsible for managing the endless restoration work, real estate investments and a flood of external relations.
Gambetti must be credited with the 'great virtue' of not forgetting the few people who have been close to him.
He also wanted his inseparable friend, Father Enzo Fortunato OFMconv, by his side. Father Fortunato is known for his ability to secure sponsorship for magazines and initiatives of all kinds, especially from influential figures.
The Gambetti team was then joined by Father Francesco Occhetta, a Jesuit and writer for La Civiltà Cattolica, who fell out with the magazine and quietly moved to the Vatican, joining the 'Fratelli tutti' foundation. Established in 2021 by Francis, the foundation aims to 'promote paths of art and faith, education and dialogue with peoples and religions to build a new Humanism'.
In reality, the 'Fratelli tutti' foundation is a machine for organising events, inviting people to a private stage — St Peter's Basilica — which is closed early to ordinary worshippers and reserved exclusively for Brother Gambetti's followers. Together with the powerful and famous, they discuss behind closed doors how to become closer to one another.
In March 2025, 'Fratelli tutti' launched the video game 'Peter Is Here' to 'play and learn in the symbol of Christianity', a joint venture between Gambetti, in his capacity as president of the Fabbrica di San Pietro Basilica, and Minecraft Education, Microsoft's platform for schools.
DagoSpia: 'These things are useful above all to the smug egos of those who create them, less so to those who are starving under the colonnade or who enter the basilica to pray and seek comfort in times of despair.'
Fratelli Tutti is considered the Vatican's Hunting Club: an exclusive club for the elite, halfway between a salon where you can discuss Pope Francis' inner circle and a club for the 'happy few'.
'Gambetti, with that slightly smarmy look of someone who pretends to take you seriously without ever really being interested in anyone, is the right friar in the right place.'
On the third floor of a historic building opposite St Peter's Basilica is a brand new office where lobbyists, lawyers, business brokers and beggars meet showbiz types to exchange business cards and do favours for each other under the guise of religious dialogue.
This, of course, happens in the name of Christian charity and New Humanism, 'to rewrite together a "grammar of the human" that allows us to recognise each other even when we do not know each other personally'.
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