Pro Gay Cardinals, McCarrick Report, and More
Over the last two months, Vatican events have returned to the front page: on 24 September there was the resignation of Cardinal Angelo Becciu and the re-emergence of financial scandals, on 21 October the words of the Pope on civil unions in the film Francesco, on 25 October the announcement of 13 new cardinals, and finally last week the publication of the McCarrick Report, the former cardinal found guilty of abuse who had also lied to John Paul II. The encyclical Fratelli Tutti, released on 3 October, which reordered the pontiff’s social teaching in an organic text, did not create a debate comparable, for example, to Laudato Si or the exhortation Amoris Laetitia. Edward Pentin, Vaticanist of the fortnightly National Catholic Register, helps us to understand what is happening in the sacri palazzi.
Let’s start with McCarrick Report. Why was it published right now? Were there any delays?
The Report was published to coincide with the annual meeting of U.S. bishops which takes place Nov. 16-17. It was also released on the same day as two other sexual abuse-related stories were scheduled to appear: the beginning of a trial for alleged sexual assault of the former apostolic nuncio to France and the release of the results of an enquiry into sex abuse allegations in the Church in England and Wales. The timing could also have had something to do with the U.S. election and the fact that the news cycle would be distracted by that. Vatican officials have said that the delays were due to the extent of the information needed to be gathered, but also because witness statements continued to be received this year and the Vatican didn’t want to produce a document without them.
The Report explains the work of Pope Francis but it casts shadows on JP2’s collaborators: is that so?
The report puts the lion’s share of the blame on St. John Paul II’s pontificate, less on Benedict XVI’s, and almost none on Pope Francis. The report documents plenty of examples of inappropriate behaviour, and that John Paul II initially dropped McCarrick as a candidate for Washington on the basis of these reports. The report says McCarrick then persuaded John Paul’s secretary, then-Archbishop, now Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz who was friendly to McCarrick, of his innocence which allowed him to be appointed.
Is it credible that St. Wojtyla was deceived?
The evidence suggests he was, at least in part. John Paul II’s biographer, George Weigel, says McCarrick was a “pathological personality,” and his ability to lie to and deceive those around him was a “hallmark” of his career in the Church. John Paul had trusted McCarrick with whom he had struck up a rapport on an earlier trip to the United States. It is also true and not news that John Paul’s experience of communism made him sceptical about rumours of clerical misconduct, and his self-confessed detached approach to Church governance didn’t help.
Some observers said that the Report denies the complaint of Archbishop C.M. Viganò, who first uncovered the McCarrick scandal two years ago: do you agree?
The report clearly aims to discredit Archbishop Vigano rather than fairly tackling the accusations he made in his 2018 testimony, the contents of which blamed a number of prelates still alive or active in the Church. Their strategy appears to be to deflect criticism away from those figures who have connections with McCarrick, including Pope Francis, as well as a homosexual clique that aided McCarrick’s rise.
How widespread is homosexuality in the Catholic Church?
It’s of course impossible to say with accuracy, but the key question for many is whether chastity is practiced among the clergy, and to what extent homosexual behaviour is deemed unacceptable. The McCarrick Report suggests it has been too freely tolerated, which some, including Benedict XVI, believe points to a turning away from God, a lack of faith in Him who inscribes the natural law on every human heart.
And does the lobby gay still have power in the Vatican?
On November 28, Pope Francis will elevate 9 new cardinal electors to the College of Cardinals, three of whom have close links with the LGBT community and are sympathetic to their agenda. Last month, Francis said he approves of same-sex civil unions. Last year the Vatican publicized a papal private audience with Jesuit Father James Martin, a leading figure in normalizing homosexual behaviour in the Church. The Vatican summary of the McCarrick Report didn’t mention homosexuality and hardly touched on homosexual abuse of seminarians or priests.
Cardinal Becciu’s resignation brought attention back to the financial operations of Holy See. Is it possible that Pope Francis was totally in the dark?
The Pope may have only half known what was happening, but evidence seems to suggest he knew much more. The way the Vatican is structured, little happens without approval of superiors, and it’s highly unlikely he would not have been informed of such large capital expenditure and significant transactions.
Pope Francis transferred Secretariat of State funds to APSA. Does this decision contribute to transparency in Vatican finances?
Francis recently returned oversight of APSA to the Secretariat for the Economy (SPE), which is how it was under the then-prefect of the SPE, Cardinal George Pell, until APSA wrested that control from the SPE around 2016. Time will tell how effective the SPE is in monitoring APSA.
What assessment do you make of the financial reforms introduced by the Pope?
The Pope’s approach to financial reform has been inconsistent as he’s been seemingly swayed by whoever is closest to him. The reforms began solidly, but it didn’t take long for Francis to allow the “old guard” to gain the upper hand. Now he is again listening to the early reformers and the changes recommended by Cardinal Pell are being put into practice. Pell has generously said Francis is playing “a long game,” but his critics say his wavering and perceived mistakes have been immensely costly for the Vatican.
Many Catholics were shocked by the controversy created by the film Francesco, in which the Pope spoke about the rights of gay couples. Is there really no change in doctrine, as we read in the explanatory letter sent by the Secretariat of State to the Apostolic nuncios in the world?
In reality, we’re told the Church’s teaching has not and cannot change on the matter, but Francis uses the media to make it nevertheless appear to the outside world that the teaching has changed. By all accounts, he is unperturbed by this, which makes his critics believe he has the intention of subverting the Church’s teaching, possibly, some argue, to please the progressives and homosexual lobby that helped get him elected. His supporters say he is merely developing doctrine in the face of today’s complexities, to which his critics say he is teaching modernist heresy.
Was the origin of the sequence put in the film but cut by Vatican officers from the original interview ever clarified?
Apart from a note to nuncios prepared by the Secretariat of State that underlined Pope Francis’ previous positions on same-sex civil unions, the Vatican never issued a formal correction of the Pope’s words, nor clarified the sequence of the clip in the film.
You recently published the book “The New Pope”, describing 19 possible candidates to succeed Francis. Should you update it, after the appointment of the new 13 cardinals? Are there any “papabili” among them?
It’s really too early to say but none of them seem to be. A couple of Italians, as they’re only in their 50s, could conceivably become papabili in the future.
Do you think that Bergoglio will resign as Pope Benedict did?
He has frequently hinted that he would, but the probabilities are slim, certainly as long as Benedict XVI is still alive.
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