The Vatican announced
Tuesday that the longtime Director of the Holy See Press Office, Spanish
layman Joaquin Navarro-Valls, has been replaced by Jesuit Fr. Federcio
Lombardi, the head of both Vatican Radio and Vatican Television.
Lombardi will hold onto those jobs while he steps into the Press
Office.
An assessment of Navarro-Valls' legacy, including his contribution to
the pontificate of John Paul II and to the media sophistication of the
Vatican, will have to await a future column.
For the moment, it's worth noting that one of the most frequent
complaints from cardinals and others in recent years about the Vatican's
communications operation is that there are too many separate fiefdoms,
often speaking independently of one another: Vatican Radio, Vatican
Television, the Press Office, L'Osservatore Romano, and so on.
With Lombardi's appointment, most of these organs are now under a
single leader.