ROME
National Post
Alice Philipson, The Telegraph | October 15, 2015
Conservatives within the Catholic Church are trying to lay “poisoned bait” for Pope Francis, it has been claimed, just days after he faced a rebellion from Vatican cardinals opposed to his more liberal stance.
With the Pope mid-way through a family summit dogged by scandal and rumours of plotting, Italian newspapers reported on schemes to destabilise Francis. Nello Scavo, a journalist at Avvenire, a daily linked to the Church, told La Repubblica there was a concerted move to “weaken the character and the strength of Pope Francis.”
“There is an ideological battle, it is true,” said Scavo, the author of a new book entitled The Enemies of Francis. “There have also been some inside the curia who have tried to lay poisoned bait for Francis.”
He cited the example of Krzysztof Charamsa, a senior Vatican official and Polish priest, who came out publicly as gay just a day before the summit began, criticising what he called “institutionalised homophobia in the Church.”
Charamsa also claimed that a majority of priests were gay, after which he was sacked.
Leonardo Boff, a theologian who has close ties with the Pope, told Oggi magazine it was “a trap set by those on the Right of the Church who oppose the Pope.”
“Because he [Charamsa] didn’t do it in a simple way,” he added. “But in a provocative way in order to create problems for the Synod and for Francis.”
On Monday the three-week debate — tackling issues such as homosexuality and divorce — was thrown into chaos as a rebellious letter to Pope Francis signed by 13 cardinals was leaked to Italy’s L’Espresso magazine.
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