UNITED STATES
Christian Catholicism
Jerry Slevin
Marie Collins, the tenacious Irish survivor of priest sexual abuse as a teenage hospital patient, and a charter member of Pope Francis’ sex abuse advisory commission, explained inspiringly and bravely on 4/18/15 to a Hartford (USA) group of Catholic reformers, including me, her sober strategy and modest expectations, especially in light of the commission’s limited mandate and inadequate funding. She spoke in detail of her commission experiences and concerns and hope at the national meeting of the Voice of the Faithful (VOTF). A senior VOTF representative indicated to me that Marie Collins’ very important address will be posted on its website here,
[VOTF]
She had just returned from her “non-meeting” with the pope. She wanted to discuss with Pope Francis his outrageous choice to make Juan Barros, who has been accused of helping shield a fellow priest abusing youths (including Juan Carlos Cruz), as the new bishop of Osorno, Chile. Barros’ bishop installion ceremony triggered unprecedented violent protests of thousands in majority Catholic Chile (see here, here, and here).
These protests are the beginning of the Catholic Revolution likely to erupt again soon in Philadelphia, or Philly, where Cruz, a top US communications executive and former journalist now lives. Philly was a key locale for the American Revolution that led to the downfall of many medieval monarchies. The papal monarchy will likely be the next and last to fall. Shocking disclosures from Philly criminal proceedings, of a top priest personnel aide to former Philly Cardinals Rigali and Bevilacqua, have already earned Philly a fair claim to be the USA’s Pedophile Priest Paradise over many decades, even though Bevilacqua’s video deposition remains hidden so far. The pope seems to think his media magic dust can cover over these disturbing facts. See my “… the Philadelphia Inquirer: A Time of Truth About Child Abuse”, here,
Marie Collins’ tenacity points to serious trouble after the Chile revolt for the pope’s upcoming visit to Philly, a key part of his evident and unfolding strategy to elect next year a “Vatican/US bishop friendly” right wing US president, with Jeb Bush the pope’s evident top choice. If the pope fails on curtailing child abuse, he becomes a US political liability. See my “Why Is Pope For A New US War That Aids Bush Neocons & BigOil Mainly?” here,
Marie Collins has prudently decided, like Eleanor Roosevelt with her key role in the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to “light a candle, rather than to curse the darkness. Marie Collins has extensive experience in Ireland dealing with senior Catholic Church bureaucrats and government officials, on getting “blood out of a stone”!
Marie Collins understands fully the limited agenda, the slow pace and the limited funding that the pope has so far embedded in his “go slow” abuse commission. But she is bravely determined, it seems clear, to seize the narrow opportunity afforded her as a member to press forward, inch by inch, to make sure children are saved from the horrors she encountered.
Marie Collins acknowledges the pope’s commission has serious limitations, but also some potential opportunities as well that she hopes to pursue without illusion. She has already made clear that she will quit if she thinks insufficient progress is being made and that she will presss the pope whenever necessary. She pointed in he USA talk to the commission’s inadequate funding and staffing, pradoxically as the pope’s Vatican Bank’s financial consultants began with a reported $1 million front end retainer, and US bishops just announced they spent $150 million last year on containing the US abuse scandal and protecting bishops mainly. The pope needs to “put his money where his mouth is” on curtailing the abuse scandal.
The pope seems poised to distract further from the abuse scandal with an encyclical on climate change, often denied by Big Oil interests. The pope’s top financial advisor was reportedly for a dozen years Chairman of BP until the end of 2009. BP is enduring a regrettable 5th anniversary now. On April 20, 2010, BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 workers and caused 200 million gallons of sticky black crude oil to spew into the ocean, setting off a devastating environmental disaster. Will Francis in his encyclical take on his Big Oil backers? Unlikely. Indeed, Francis has actively promoted population expansion, a key contributor to environmental degradation. Judging by the pope’s avoidance of the child abuse scandal, his environental encyclical is likely to be more of his mixed messaging and pious platitudes. See on the 2010 BP disaster Reuters’ new video, here,
[Reuters]
Pope Francis has evidently carefully avoided the Barros subject publicly, even though he reportedly was involved in Barros’ appointment and likely knows him. Please see the superb and relevant analysis, “Vatican Defends the Chilean Appointment” here, BishopAccountability.org .
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