Pope Francis Must Change Course Or Else

UNITED STATES
Christian Catholicism

Jerry Slevin

* Pope Francis has shown by some of his recent actions that he is a first rate tactician, but seemingly also a second rate strategist. He is maximizing his papal power, for example, by using his bully pulpit at a Christmas party to shame and weaken opposing Vatican officials and by using his appointment power to dilute traditional Italian control of the College of Cardinals and of Vatican finances. Good tactics, for sure. But these good tactics are futile when used in pursuit of Francis’ short sighted and flawed strategy, especially with respect to children and women.

* A recent analysis cited below, for example, indicates that Cardinal Law’s well publicized Boston abuse scandal contributed to a one-third decline in Catholics in the surrounding area in barely two decades, almost double the decline among Catholics elsewhere in the USA generally. As USA Catholics learn more of the abuse details, for example, in Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Chicago, et al., more leave the Catholic Church, including many women especially who also reject in good conscience the pope’s continuing and unnecessary ban on contraception. This trend is even accelerating in diverse countries worldwide.

* Later this year a major new Hollywood film, “Spotlight”, starring Michael Keaton, will further publicize worldwide the lurid details of Cardinal Law’s scandals and the Boston Globes’s uncovering of much of it. Pope Francis’ apparent strategy for curtailing Cardinal Law’s and similar scandals has up until now mainly been to appoint Cardinal Law’s former canon lawyer to be the key staffer of the pope’s “go slow” anti-abuse commission. And Cardinal Law still shows up as an honored guest recently at the pope’s Christmas party and then with Francis’ no.2 man, Cardinal Parolin, at a Rome seminary event. This is poor strategy, no matter how it is spun, no? Good tactics is pursuit of a flawed strategy are ultimately futile.

* The overarching Vatican “framework” at present, based on current Vatican assumptions, appears to be mainly that (A) Jesus endorsed popes as supreme papal monarchs, (B) who are accountable only to God, (C) who uniquely interpret infallibly matters of “faith and morals”, including New Testament moral themes, and (D) who appoint as unaccountable bishops superior men, exclusively, (E) to implement and enforce unchangeable dogmas and practices mandated by popes. The Vatican currently, in effect, through ceaseless indoctrination seeks to require a billion plus Catholics to operate within this framework as well. This framework does not stand up well to close scholarly scrutiny or current reality.

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