CNS story on the ways and means of Cardinal Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State:

The media has warmed to the cardinal’s personality and given him ample ink and airtime. As a result, the 72-year-old Salesian is building a reputation as a kind of populist pastor willing to speak his mind on a wide spectrum of topics — from the importance of religious art to medical ethics.

Over the last few months, Cardinal Bertone has popped up almost everywhere: talking about the Holocaust at a book presentation, preaching about ethics to Italy’s finance police, blessing a garbage collectors’ Christmas creche, celebrating Mass for typography workers, sampling truffles from Italy’s Piedmont region, viewing an exhibit on Russian Orthodox spirituality and cheering at a church-run soccer tournament.

Pope Benedict is apparently used to seeing his secretary of state come and go. In December, on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the pope asked him where he was headed, and the cardinal said he was off to the outskirts of Rome to lead a procession.

"Another one?" the pope quipped.