UNITED STATES
Christian Catholicism
Jerry Slevin
Cardinals seem to be biting the immoral dust faster than the Dublin bookmakers’ computers can adjust their papal handicapping system. A few days ago Honduran Cardinal Maradiaga was accused credibly in the National Post of making anti-Semitic charges about priest child abuse by Harvard Law School Professor Alan Dershowitz. Now the UK’s senior Cardinal, Keith O’Brien, has been credibly reported based on allegations of four priests to have “dirty hands”. His futile attempt to pivot by recently backing married priests seems to have failed. He hails for the same area and era in Ireland as disgraced Irish Cardinal Brady (and sadly, near my parents’ birthplace). If “clean hands” were to be made a prerequisite for Cardinals’ voting, will any Cardinal still be standing to vote by March 15, or at least worthy to be Pope if “clean hands” were to be introduced for the first time as a papal requirement?
Popes for centuries have told us how they had the exclusive “truth”, the “deposit of faith”, the “Tradition”. the “Magisterium”. etc. It was drilled into the consciousness of Catholic schoolchildren, including me and mine. The mystical smokescreens are quickly dissipating as fast as the the Internet can clear them.
Will other Christians now weigh in and give their advice here? Clearly the Popes do not have all the answers and solutions. Given the historical treatment of Orthodox and Protestant traditions by Rome, these traditions will understandably be hesitant to speak up. Nevertheless, Christian Catholics need their help at this critical point. Who knows? Maybe before the Papal Olympics are over, Catholics may have to ask their “separated brethren” to lend us a Papal Quarterback?
In the past week, Catholic ecumenical scholar, Hans Kung, former Dominican and now Episcopal priest, Matthew Fox, and Anglican deacon and Oxford historian, Sir Diarmaid MacCulloch, have weighed in on the current crisis. Hopefully, other Christian leaders and scholars, will weigh in soon. Catholics need some help here. So many Catholic leaders and scholars have been muzzled for so long by the Vatican’s ruthless inquisitors under the present Pope and his Polish predecessor, that in-house Catholic “players” may arrive at the papal match too late.
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