I know I'm a crusty owld cynic, but the Vatican is just as skilled at spin as any political party or lobby group.

Really? It's very easy for any organisation to *recognise* the importance of good PR, but it's a great deal harder to achieve it. I would say that the recent record does not suggest the Vatican is skilled at spin. So I'm more inclined to assume this is one guy doing it his way, which will sometimes work and sometimes not, rather than a dark Machiavelli in the background.