I hope it would be +Ranjith, but I'm usually wrong about such things.

Thompson has it exactly right: Marini vecchio would be a disaster. He made papal liturgies look ridiculous, with the hideous vestments in which he put the last two Popes and with foolishness like the unfortunately memorable dancers in India waving incense bowls. I can't imagine that the "creativity" behind such circus acts is appealing to Pope Francis, but of course anything is possible.

Certainly the old-style liberal iconoclasts who hated Pope Benedict would love to see Abp. Marini as prefect of CDW wrecking the liturgy again as they pass from the scene. They remind me of "Cousin Bette" in Balzac's novel: she was so determined to see her family's downfall that even on her death bed she connived to lead her relatives right into their moral weaknesses.

OTOH, Richard, one has to wonder whether the papal liturgist/MC has a plethora of local political concerns to slog through. What comes to mind are the hundreds of huge event liturgies under Bl. JPII. Some of them may well have been ridiculous, as in India or Papa New Guinea. Others, such as the beatification of S.J. Diego were stunningly authentic and beautiful. Such is life. And one must recall it wasn't all that long ago when, I believe under Marini II, National's Stadium "happened" immediately following the incredible Vespers in the crypt of the Shrine under Latona. And the papal Mass in WYD in Australia, while showing some RotR influence, still had syncretistic (is that the correct term, Kathy?) elements well on display.
I wouldn't worry about strummers in St. Peter's too much if Piero gets CDW. I would worry if Guido gets a dead fish in a newspaper soon at his door.

I would hope that the Secretariat of State would prepare a better media rollout of a Piero Marini prefecture than, say, the suspension of the excommunication of Richard Williamson. However, in all likelihood this is a psychological feint. We rumor Marini, and then when you get, say, Trautman (or, for that matter, Whoopi Goldberg), you feel relieved.

But what exactly is there to be concerned about? What great work of Cardinal Cañizares will his transfer interrupt? What would a Prefect Marini really do differently? A second Consilium would herd hordes of hundreds of thousands to make sacrifices of time and distance to attend the legitimate offering of the EF. Further attempts to restrict the EF would be ignored after Summorum Pontificum as ultra vires. Marini's great damage came as Papal MC and as head of Eucharistic Congresses, where he had a free hand to mislead by example. Imprisoned in the world of text, would Marini show the same foul eloquence as his mentor? Do we really expect Francis to repeal or modify Redemptionis Sacramentum?

Yes, there could be new rites galore. A provisional Eucharistic Prayer MCMLXVIII to allow divorced deaf dwarves who like balloons to achieve their legitimate aspirations. But again, whatever damage is done, there is now an escape hatch.

melo,

Your post really made me think, and indeed I am outraged. Who uses that word, seriously?

..."heighth?"

IS OUTRAGE!!!

Kind of reminds one of that Two Marini Martini lunch.

dagnabit

So, AW, come up with the rest of the sentence.

Dagnabit, dude, I am no minstrel
here to joke and prove my wits 'til
you are sated in your need
for the jokes on which you feed.

Make your own rhymes, you can do it
if you just get one round tuit.

MHI, you know how I feel about free verse...

Free verse? As in, verse in the commons?

  what's worse
  than verse
that does not seem to rhyme?
  rehearse
  this curse!
(you'll need it in due time.)

free verse
this
no need to ask
copyleft
is just about
right, copy?

Is it bad that on reading this I read 'dagnabit' as "dah-nya-beet"?

Excuse me? That's 'Trautfolk'.

Trautperoffspring.

Well that explains why the wine cellar is empty. :D