## Notes from 22 April 2025 [[2025-04-21|← Previous note]] ┃ [[2025-04-23|Next note →]] I've been reading about Pope Francis today, following the news of his passing. I came across [some articles](https://www.compactmag.com/email/714e3485-ab44-4122-bf5d-ddae04efe582/) about the reforms he introduced to the way the Vatican is governed. One reform in particular caught my attention: the decision to [open high-level positions](https://angelusnews.com/news/vatican/opening-curia-posts-to-laity-pope-is-implementing-vatican-ii-experts-say/) in the [[Catholic Church Governance#The Holy See Governance|Roman Curia]] to laypeople (men and [women](https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/261443/heres-what-to-know-about-the-first-female-vatican-prefect-in-catholic-church-history)!). These are leadership roles that, until recently, were reserved almost exclusively for ordained clergy (bishops or cardinals). Under Francis, however, authority in these roles no longer comes from being part of the Church hierarchy, but from a delegated mission: the person holds the position because they were chosen to carry out a specific function, not because of their clerical rank. This shift really caught my eye because it touches on something I’ve been thinking a lot about: civil service reform. It raises interesting questions about authority, professional expertise and how institutions adapt to modern expectations. The opening of leadership posts for laypeople for example reminds me of the discussions about the contrast between two kinds of civil service organization: **“job-in-person” systems**, where authority is tied to the individual’s rank or cadre, and **“job-in-position” systems**, where authority is attached to the role itself, and anyone with the right skills and mandate can fill it. What Francis did reflects a move toward the latter: a more functional, flexible understanding of institutional leadership. It's a small administrative detail on the surface, but symbolically it's huge. It challenges traditional notions of authority and raises new questions about what kind of expertise matters in institutions... religious or secular. It's also a concrete example of rethinking how that leadership is defined. That's something I'm interested in and want to explore further in future writing. I first started reflecting on this while reading a sharp and critical essay by Nathan Pinkoski called _“[Pope Francis’s Managerial Revolution](https://www.compactmag.com/email/714e3485-ab44-4122-bf5d-ddae04efe582/)”_ (Compact, April 22, 2025). While the article focuses on Francis’s leadership style and its tensions, it helped me notice how deep and contested some of these administrative reforms actually are.