The Pope probably should resign

VATICAN CITY
CNN

August 29, 2018

By Jill Filipovic

Editor’s Note: Jill Filipovic is a journalist based in New York and Nairobi, Kenya, and the author of the book “The H-Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness.” Follow her on Twitter. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. View more opinion articles on CNN.

As long-simmering tensions in the Catholic Church again boil to the surface over allegations of child sex crimes, a prominent — and controversial — archbishop is calling for the Pope’s resignation. Is the church confronting a coup, or is it finally facing a reckoning?

It’s both.

Of course, the church needs to be held accountable for the scandal — up to its highest leader. But there is little evidence that the new calls to oust Pope Francis are being made in good faith over genuine concern for children abused over decades — or the culture of male impunity that enabled it.

No, this current wave of outrage is led by the conservative clergy, via a recent 11-page later from Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò — the former top Vatican diplomat in the United States, who Francis chose to replace. Viganò alleges that a “homosexual current” led to the sexual abuse scandal and that Francis covered for a cardinal he knew was a “sexual predator.” The Pope’s response: “I will not say a single word on this.”

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