UNITED STATES
Christian Catholicism

Jerry Slevin

The Cardinals who elected Pope Francis had been selected either by ex-Pope Benedict, or by John Paul II with the ex-Pope’s and/or Cardinal Sodano’s input. The Cardinals have for years promoted and protected an unaccountable organization run primarily for their personal benefit, it appears. Some, perhaps even many, of them are now likely facing an imminent legal seige for alleged crimes of child endangerment and/or financial misdeeds, including possibly even Joseph Ratzinger. Meanwhile, Vatican Cardinals are trying hard to keep secret a dossier reportedly of Vatican officials’ financial and sexual misconduct.

Pope Francis, a seemingly amiable, humble and frugal Italian/Argentinian Jesuit, had been made Cardinal in 2001 by John Paul II, who at the time suffered from Parkinson’s Disease and relied often on Cardinal Sodano and/or Ratzinger. The new Pope had been the young head of the Jesuits under an Argentine military dictatorship…