Reshuffling at the Vatican

Speculation mounts over new Secretary of State
(ANSA) - Rome, June 19 - The most important move in Pope Benedict XVI's reshaping of the Vatican administration after his election in 2005 will be announced soon, according to Vatican-watchers in Italy .

The current Vatican Secretary of State, the 79-year-old Cardinal Angelo Sodano, is widely expected to step down later this year and Benedict must choose a replacement.

According to persistent rumours, the job will go to one of Benedict's closest collaborators over the last ten years, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the archbishop of Genoa .