Or is this in preparation for the big one?
This must surely be the 10076'th sign of the apocalypse.
If anyone knows when it is comming, it is surely The Pope.
Upgrading his "special troops" is just what is needed before the demons come hauling up from the earth.
The cover-up is of course not so much to prevent people from worrying (after all - getting people to worry about their future is what the Catholic church is all about), but rather to catch the Devil unaware.