During his nine years as apostolic delegate to the U.S., Archbishop Egidio Vagnozzi, 61, proved to be a somewhat enigmatic and unpopular figure to American Catholics. There were few expressions of regret when Rome announced that Vagnozzi, who last month was named a cardinal by Pope Paul VI, would become a member of the Vatican's Consistorial and Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs Congregations. His successor is Archbishop Luigi Raimondi, currently apostolic delegate to Mexico.
A dour and learned churchly diplomat, Vagnozzi suffered by comparison with his much admired predecessor, Amleto Cardinal Cicognani, now the...