Collegiality Gives Way To The Police State At Vatican

Who remembers in the early days of Pope Francis' papacy all the talks of "collegiality" and him being just another bishop?  Those were the days of the silly clown noses, etc.  Well, perhaps the clown noses were just to disarm naive people for now the clown nose has given way to the hard nose.

A number of cardinals reside in Rome.  By way of the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Pope Francis ordered those cardinals, if they plan to take a trip outside the city, to tell him where they're going and how long they'll be gone.  He's treating these cardinals like minor children subject to curfew.

Of what is he afraid?  That more dubia will find their way to his desk?  Will he have them followed?  The blogger Abyssus Abyssum quips that next the pope will have them where homing tags, similar to ankle bracelets worn by registered sex offenders.  It may be farcical now, but farces seem to have a way of morphing into reality at the Vatican these days.

He clearly is afraid.  History shows that many of the most fearful, paranoid people were indeed tyrants.  Is that what we're seeing now?