Is Cardinals Council with Pope Francis Real Reform or Scripted Stalling Anew?

By Jerry Slevin
Christian Catholicism
October 1, 2013

http://christiancatholicism.com/is-cardinals-council-with-pope-francis-real-reform-or-scripted-stalling-anew/

Poor Fr. Lombardi, the Vatican’s Jesuit “spin doctor”. After loyally spinning for years for the sly academic ex-Pope, Benedict, who rarely even talked to him directly, he now must spin for a politically clever Jesuit  Pope, Francis. Benedict had disdain for most journalists, as was evident in his televised “Wehrmacht style” slap  of an ABC-TV journalist who dared to ask him about the decades’ old Maciel case. Francis is much smoother. Time will tell if he ”shoots  any straighter”, though.

Increasingly, Francis is employing classic political tactics well described as ”bait and switch” and “hurry up and wait”. This is vividly shown with the Council of Cardinals.

For six months the Council was touted by papal propagandists and wishful thinking Catholics — the “bait”–  as almost the upcoming equivalent of the Council of Trent. It gave Francis cover on reform questions. Now that the Council is here, Fr. Lombardi indicates to us that it will be purely advisory, likely undecisive and mostly secret–the “switch”. Yes indeed! Hurry up and wait!

Meanwhile, Francis still makes his decisions like an absolute monarch. For example, almost no input from the laity, and of course, no women’s input, on appointing new bishops, a key matter.

On dealing with the sexual abuse scandal, there has been no real change from Benedict either. Convicted Bishop Finn remains in office and no other bad bishop has been publicly chastised for protecting sexual predators

Meanwhile, one of “soon to be sainted” Pope John Paul II’s Polish ecclesiastical creations, the Archbishop nuncio to the Dominican Republic, and also a Peruvian bishop, both of whom are facing serious child abuse allegations, were being handled by Francis mostly secretly.

Of course, publicity here would remind Catholics of John Paul’s protection of his large donor, Fr. Maciel, from his lifetime of abuse allegations. Not a good time to tell the truth about John Paul’s shameful handling of priest abusers and their episcopal protectors. This Latino aspect would also likely undercut Francis’ efforts to rally USA Latinos to vote next year for right-wing allies of Francis to influence US Supreme Court appointments.

John Paul’s canonization is critical now to help provide ”saintly support” for the papal propaganda relating to the papal anti-contraception, anti-women priests and the anti-gay marriage crusades. Like popes, saints do not err, whether they are good or bad. Right!

Francis made his upward ecclesiastical ladder moves with help from John Paul’s key Cardinal Laghi, who played tennis with the generals during Argentina’s Dirty War. Francis apparently risked two of his Jesuit teachers to torture to satisfy Laghi. Ambition trumped the Gospels, it seems.

Laghi went then to Washington DC to be John Paul’s link to the Reagan Era’s neo-con establishment, which included Francis’ current ally, Carl Anderson.  Laghi’s brave DC canon lawyer, Dominican Fr. Tom Doyle, chose truth over ambition and exposed the priest child abuse scandal, as the Gospels required. Doyle paid a heavy price. Francis became Pope. Not quite the classic Jesuit/Dominican theological debate, but a stark contrast on applying the Gospels’ clear mandates, nonetheless. Score one for the Dominicans!

If Francis is really serious about curbing child abuse, he should promptly appoint his fellow Laghi alumnus, Tom Doyle, to his new Council.

For more on Fr. Doyle’s current and honest take, please see his recent video interview accessible at :

http://www.sbs.com.au/dateline/story/watch/id/600432/n/Interview-with-Father-Tom-Doyle

For a thorough marshalling of the facts on Francis’ efforts to play down the two Latin American bishops’ alleged sexual abuse of children, please see;

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/09/29/1242038/-Pope-Francis-Concealed-His-Actions-Against-Two-Prelates-Now-Both-Whereabouts-are-Unknown

For more information on why Francis purported reforms may fail, please see my “Does Pope Francis Understand What ‘Reform’ Means ?”, accessible at:

http://wp.me/P2YEZ3-Py