Somebody has to pay for the recent Vatican public relations debacles. That somebody may very well end up being Vatican spokesman Frederico Lombardi, S.J.. While he did not make the decision about remitting the excommunications of the four Society of St. Pius X bishops, he did "package" the issues to present to the outside world. While the Pope made "off the cuff" comments about condoms on His trip to Africa, Lombardi was responsible for clarifying those remarks to the media. He did not develop the messages, but he was the messenger. And he soon may be looking for other work.
Lombardi has served as head of Vatican Radio for several years. When Joaquin Navarro-Walls (a psychiatrist by training) retired a couple of years ago after nearly thirty years of serving as the Pope's spokesman, Lombardi took on the added responsibilities.
Lombardi is in a "no win" situation. The missteps were not his, but he had to deal with the reactions. Since he is a Jesuit, many conservative prelates suspected that Lombardi may have developed a plan to sabotage the Pope through public relations strategies.
Let's see where the dust settles on this one. Poor Father Lombardi. Even after putting lipstick on it, a pig is still a pig.
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