Update: new Ecclesia Dei appointments. Is the Holy Father moving the Chess pieces?

Whispers in the Loggia is reporting the following this morning:

"Benedict XVI named three members of that group who are widely seen as being among his closest allies to the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, which handles issues relating to the 1988 indult -- and, informally, relations with the Society for St Pius X.

"The new members of Ecclesia Dei are Cardinals William Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Jean-Pierre Ricard of Bordeaux, head of the French episcopal conference, and the Spanish primate Antonio Cañizares Llovera of Toledo.

"Cañizares is known as the "little Ratzinger" -- he became close to the pontiff as secretary of the doctrine committee of the Spanish bishops. At the Big Ratzinger's behest, Canizares was named a member of the CDF."

This news is officially confirmable on the Italian language section of the Vatican website here.

While it may or may not be related, Vatican Information Service is reporting that Cardinal Levada did have an audience with the Holy Father, last evening, after the interdicasterial meeting of that morning.