The words "I quit" were barely out of Pope Benedict's mouth when cries of "Why?" ["Perche?" Surely. Ed.] Were heard throughout what we used to call Christendom. It didn't take long for Vaticanistas to start reading the entrails, but understanding what really precipitated the Pope's resignation will -- like miracles -- take a little longer.
The last 48 hours has seen three events which, taken together, may add up to an explanation. (Note the use of the indefinite article.) From Walt's perch in the belfry of St. Valentine's Church, the tips of three icebergs can be seen. (Or could it be three tips of one huge berg?)
I. German attorney Ernst von Freyberg has been named president of the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR), which is the proper name of the Vatican's bank. The appointment will be among the last of Benedict XVI's reign. The announcement (on page 2 of L'Osservatore Romano of 16/2/13) also says "the other four members of the board of supervision maintain their positions."
Also confirmed in their positions were the four prelates who comprise the commission that presides over the IOR. They are cardinals Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran, Odilo P. Scherer, and Telesphore P. Toppo. But wait (I almost hear you say), that's only three. The fourth, who also happens to be keeping his position as president of the commission, is none other than Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State.
So what, I definitely hear you ask. Well... The anonymous writer of the report in Chiesa asks if it were truly necessary to renew the members of the commission of cardinals right on the heels of the announcement of the Pope's resignation. Wny not wait, he wonders, for the election of the new pope, who in any case will have the power to change the commission if he so wishes.
II. There has been another significant personnel change, involving Bertone's Secretariat of State.
Monsignor Ettore Balestrero, an undersecretary of the Vatican's Foreign Ministry since 2009, was this week issued with Kevlar vestments and a steel (not the gun but the cute hat) and sent to Colombia as the new Papal Nuncio (ambassador). Colombia is not the end of the Catholic world, but it's 1000s of miles from Rome, which seems to be the point.
The Vatican's senior spokesthingy, Father Federico Lombardi, said today that the transfer had been in the works for months, and had nothing whatever to do with item III on Walt's list, which is...
III. The leak to the Rome daily La Repubblica of the contents of a confidential report into the Vatileaks scandal. Three cardinals -- Julian Herranz (Spanish), Salvatore De Giorgi (Italian), and Jozef Tomko (Slovak) -- were asked by Pope Benedict to investigate the leaking last year of a series of Vatican documents which seriously undermined his papacy.
The leaked papers included private letters to the Pope complaining of corruption and cronyism in the awarding of Vatican contracts. Allegations of money-laundering at the Vatican's bank -- there's the connection -- were reignited.
Who was behind all this? Was it just crooked financiers bent on enriching themselves with the Church's money? Sadly, no.
According to the Rome newspaper, the cardinals reported to the Holy Father several factions within the Vatican, including "a cross-party network united by sexual orientation", were breaking commandments, including the sixth (Thou shalt not commit adultery) and seventh (Thou shalt not steal).
The stealing mentioned was in reference to "mismanagement" at the IOR, and the sixth commandment is often referenced when speaking of homosexuality.
La Repubblica said the 300-page report alleges the gay network convened in a handful of locations in and around Rome, including a sauna, a beauty parlor, university housing being used by a provincial Italian archbishop, and a villa. "For the first time, the word homosexual was pronounced," the newspaper said, referring to a meeting when the cardinals reported their findings to the Holy Father.
Could this be true? Really?! Let's ask Father Lombardi. Oh. He says we shouldn't expect anyone from the Vatican to confirm or deny the allegations. "We're not going to run after all the speculation, the fantasies or the opinions that will be expressed on this issue," he said in a statement published by the Guardian. "And don't expect the three cardinals to give you interviews, either, because they have agreed not to answer [questions] or give information on this issue."
In fact, Father Lombardi won't even admit that the report exists. Kind of like theThird Secret of Fatima.
Showing posts with label Vatileaks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vatileaks. Show all posts
Friday, February 22, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Bertone to blame for Pope's downfall?
Immediately following the news of Pope Benedict XVI's resignation, Walt was one of the first to point the finger of blame and shame at Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone. See "Walt tells you who the next Pope won't be".
Four days later, I told you I'm not the only one who feels responsibility for the misdirection of the Church and the Holy Father is the fault of his Secretary of State. See "''Bertone must go!' -- cardinal's warning to Benedict".
In that post I wondered why Pope Ratzinger is so loyal to Cardinal Bertone, given that the latter has got him into so much trouble. We shall probably never know, but a number of possibilities come to mind. For instance, they might be lodge brothers! It is an "open secret" that there are Freemasons in the highest ranks of the Church -- enemies within the walls plotting to install one of their own as the next pope. (See "'Peter the Roman': the last Pope?").
Getting back to Bertone, I want to share with you part of the Economist's take on the situation. The Economist is no friend of Holy Mother Church, but that doesn't mean they don't keep an eye on doings the Vatican. Here's what they had to say on 16 February.
In Benedict's first sermon as pope, he asked the faithful to pray for their new shephered "that I may not flee for fear of the wolves". His fans feel the wolves won. A toxic row between his secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, and other Vatican factions lay behind the so-called Vatileaks scandal last year.
The Pope's own butler was found to have leaked documents clearly damaging to Cardinal Bertone.... To his critics Benedict is not a victim, but a weak pope who gave free rein to an ill-prepared and unsuitable secretary of state. The Vatileaks documents cast a bad light on him too.
Vatican watchers, both religious and secular, have long said that Bertone was miffed that Ratzinger had been chosen pope rather than his progressive and intelligent self. I wasn't kidding when I posted a picture, some months ago, of Bertone with his hand behind Benedict's back, and asked (in jest of course) if he was holding a knife. Whether he meant to or not, Bertone has brought Benedict down. But he will not be "Peter the Roman".
Four days later, I told you I'm not the only one who feels responsibility for the misdirection of the Church and the Holy Father is the fault of his Secretary of State. See "''Bertone must go!' -- cardinal's warning to Benedict".
In that post I wondered why Pope Ratzinger is so loyal to Cardinal Bertone, given that the latter has got him into so much trouble. We shall probably never know, but a number of possibilities come to mind. For instance, they might be lodge brothers! It is an "open secret" that there are Freemasons in the highest ranks of the Church -- enemies within the walls plotting to install one of their own as the next pope. (See "'Peter the Roman': the last Pope?").
Getting back to Bertone, I want to share with you part of the Economist's take on the situation. The Economist is no friend of Holy Mother Church, but that doesn't mean they don't keep an eye on doings the Vatican. Here's what they had to say on 16 February.
In Benedict's first sermon as pope, he asked the faithful to pray for their new shephered "that I may not flee for fear of the wolves". His fans feel the wolves won. A toxic row between his secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, and other Vatican factions lay behind the so-called Vatileaks scandal last year.
The Pope's own butler was found to have leaked documents clearly damaging to Cardinal Bertone.... To his critics Benedict is not a victim, but a weak pope who gave free rein to an ill-prepared and unsuitable secretary of state. The Vatileaks documents cast a bad light on him too.
Vatican watchers, both religious and secular, have long said that Bertone was miffed that Ratzinger had been chosen pope rather than his progressive and intelligent self. I wasn't kidding when I posted a picture, some months ago, of Bertone with his hand behind Benedict's back, and asked (in jest of course) if he was holding a knife. Whether he meant to or not, Bertone has brought Benedict down. But he will not be "Peter the Roman".
Friday, February 15, 2013
"Bertone must go!" -- cardinal's warning to Benedict
On the day of Pope Benedict XVI's resignation, Walt told you that his successor would not be Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone. (Lifetime pct .987) A reader asks why I said that with such confidence. Very simple. [You said it! Ed.]
Bertone is easily the most disliked member of the Roman Curia -- reviled by the others for his overweaning ambition and attempts to usurp the Pope's authority, rather like Gen. Alexander Haig in the Reagan years. Then there is the matter of Bertone's incompetence in matters of state, such as his complete mishandling of the controversy over the Third Secret of Fatima. (See The Secret Still Hidden, by Christopher Ferrara. Good Counsel Publications, 2008)
Then there was the Williamson affair -- the question of what to do about Bishop Richard Williamson, of the Society of St. Pius X, who was accused of being a "Holocause denier". Bishop Williamson, along with three other SSPX bishops consecrated by Abp. Lefebvre, was supposedly excommunicated. Then, as part of the Vatican's campaign to make the traditionalists bend the knee to Rome, they were "unexcommunicated".
About 30 seconds later the modernists started whining that Williamson should have remained beyond the pale, rather than risk giving offence to the Jews with whom the Church is now supposed to make nice. Another own goal for Bertone.
That's what Joachim Cardinal Meisner of Cologne told Benedict XVI when he pleaded with the Holy Father to replace Bertone as Vatican Secretary of State. Cardinal Meisner told Frankfurter Rundschau that he approached the Pope, on behalf of several cardinals, to demand a change because Cardinal Bertone had proven incapable of handling his office.
But did the Pontiff listen? Nooo... The German cardinal said the Pope dismissed the suggestion immediately, showing his loyalty to Cardinal Bertone. Cardinal Meisner recalled: "He looked at me and said, 'Listen to me carefully! Bertone remains! Basta! Basta! Basta!' After that I never brought up the subject again."
Walt has long wondered why Pope Ratzinger has such "loyalty" to the Man Who Would Be Pope, the more so after the Vatileaks scandal of last year. Could it be that Bertone has "something" on the Pope? Something like photos of the Pope with a duck? (Agent 78 says this means something.)
Could this deep, dark and dirty secret -- if such there be -- have anything to do with Benedict's resignation? Will we ever be told the truth of the Ratzinger-Bertone relationship, or the Pope's decision to go now, before anything else happens?
Ordinarily, the Vatican being what it is, Walt would say we will never know. But... it's interesting -- verrry interresting -- that Cardinal Meisner should have chosen this moment to tell his little story to Frankfurther Rundschau. Maybe this little story has great hidden significance. Or maybe not.
Bertone is easily the most disliked member of the Roman Curia -- reviled by the others for his overweaning ambition and attempts to usurp the Pope's authority, rather like Gen. Alexander Haig in the Reagan years. Then there is the matter of Bertone's incompetence in matters of state, such as his complete mishandling of the controversy over the Third Secret of Fatima. (See The Secret Still Hidden, by Christopher Ferrara. Good Counsel Publications, 2008)
Then there was the Williamson affair -- the question of what to do about Bishop Richard Williamson, of the Society of St. Pius X, who was accused of being a "Holocause denier". Bishop Williamson, along with three other SSPX bishops consecrated by Abp. Lefebvre, was supposedly excommunicated. Then, as part of the Vatican's campaign to make the traditionalists bend the knee to Rome, they were "unexcommunicated".
About 30 seconds later the modernists started whining that Williamson should have remained beyond the pale, rather than risk giving offence to the Jews with whom the Church is now supposed to make nice. Another own goal for Bertone.
That's what Joachim Cardinal Meisner of Cologne told Benedict XVI when he pleaded with the Holy Father to replace Bertone as Vatican Secretary of State. Cardinal Meisner told Frankfurter Rundschau that he approached the Pope, on behalf of several cardinals, to demand a change because Cardinal Bertone had proven incapable of handling his office.
But did the Pontiff listen? Nooo... The German cardinal said the Pope dismissed the suggestion immediately, showing his loyalty to Cardinal Bertone. Cardinal Meisner recalled: "He looked at me and said, 'Listen to me carefully! Bertone remains! Basta! Basta! Basta!' After that I never brought up the subject again."
Walt has long wondered why Pope Ratzinger has such "loyalty" to the Man Who Would Be Pope, the more so after the Vatileaks scandal of last year. Could it be that Bertone has "something" on the Pope? Something like photos of the Pope with a duck? (Agent 78 says this means something.)
Could this deep, dark and dirty secret -- if such there be -- have anything to do with Benedict's resignation? Will we ever be told the truth of the Ratzinger-Bertone relationship, or the Pope's decision to go now, before anything else happens?
Ordinarily, the Vatican being what it is, Walt would say we will never know. But... it's interesting -- verrry interresting -- that Cardinal Meisner should have chosen this moment to tell his little story to Frankfurther Rundschau. Maybe this little story has great hidden significance. Or maybe not.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Negotiations between Rome and the SSPX: Abp. Muller slams the door
The new Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- the old Holy Office -- Archbishop Gerhard Muller, should have been a politician. Last week he demonstrated a remarkable gift for saying different things in different languages to different audience.
Katholisches: Magazin für Kirche und Kultur reports on two interviews given by the prelate on the topic of his main challenge, the "negotiations" between the Society of St. Pius X and the Vatican over the readmission of the former to the mainstream modernist Catholic Church.
Speaking in German to Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Muller took a very hard line, saying (not quite in so many words) that the negotiations are at an end. But talking with the (US) National Catholic Register in English, he was all hopeful and prayerful that a "spirit of unity" would prevail... provided of course that the SSPX bends its collective knee to the will of the Holy Father to break with the Traditional Faith once and for all.
Here's what Abp. Muller said in German. (Please don't be nitpicky about the translation. Neither Walt nor Ed. reads/writes German, so we've had to rely on others.)
"Bruderschaft ist für uns kein Verhandlungspartner, weil es über den Glauben keine Verhandlungen gibt." This Society [the SSPX] is for us not a negotiation-partner because there is no negotiation over the Faith.
"Es gibt keine Ermäßigungen was den katholischen Glauben angeht, gerade wie er auch vom Zweiten Vatikanischen Konzil gültig formuliert worden ist." No reduction that can be tolerated to the Catholic Faith, exactly as it has been formulated by the Second Vatican Council. [Rather a revealing statement, that last part, since the Council itself never specifically said that its pronouncements were to have the authority of defined dogma.]
"Es gibt jetzt keine neuen Gespräche mehr." There is no more negotiation. [That's what the man said. If the translation is incorrect, please could someone supply the correct interpretation.]
Muller's position sounds pretty clear to me. He has stated once again the Vatican's hard-line policy that the Society of St. Pius X must do two things:
(1) accept the documents of Vatican II as doctrine, with no further debate over their errors and heresies;
(2) accept as valid the Novus Ordo mass, which the Pope now calls the "Ordinary Rite", to distinguish it from the centuries-old Tridentine Mass which we are now told is "Extraordinary".
The truth that Bishop Bernard Fellay, the leader of the SSPX, refuses to recognize is that these two conditions have never been, in the Pope's mind, negotiable. We can see this now through the revelations of the Vatileaks documents, for the release of which the Pope's butler, Paolo Gabriele, was this week found guilty.
In trying to reach an accommodation of any sort with Rome, Fellay and his followers -- perhaps a minority within the SSPX -- have been wasting their time. It's not going to happen! As the Society's founder, Archbishop Lefebvre, might have said: no matter how long your spoon, you cannot sup with the Devil!
Katholisches: Magazin für Kirche und Kultur reports on two interviews given by the prelate on the topic of his main challenge, the "negotiations" between the Society of St. Pius X and the Vatican over the readmission of the former to the mainstream modernist Catholic Church.
Speaking in German to Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Muller took a very hard line, saying (not quite in so many words) that the negotiations are at an end. But talking with the (US) National Catholic Register in English, he was all hopeful and prayerful that a "spirit of unity" would prevail... provided of course that the SSPX bends its collective knee to the will of the Holy Father to break with the Traditional Faith once and for all.
Here's what Abp. Muller said in German. (Please don't be nitpicky about the translation. Neither Walt nor Ed. reads/writes German, so we've had to rely on others.)
"Bruderschaft ist für uns kein Verhandlungspartner, weil es über den Glauben keine Verhandlungen gibt." This Society [the SSPX] is for us not a negotiation-partner because there is no negotiation over the Faith.
"Es gibt keine Ermäßigungen was den katholischen Glauben angeht, gerade wie er auch vom Zweiten Vatikanischen Konzil gültig formuliert worden ist." No reduction that can be tolerated to the Catholic Faith, exactly as it has been formulated by the Second Vatican Council. [Rather a revealing statement, that last part, since the Council itself never specifically said that its pronouncements were to have the authority of defined dogma.]
"Es gibt jetzt keine neuen Gespräche mehr." There is no more negotiation. [That's what the man said. If the translation is incorrect, please could someone supply the correct interpretation.]
Muller's position sounds pretty clear to me. He has stated once again the Vatican's hard-line policy that the Society of St. Pius X must do two things:
(1) accept the documents of Vatican II as doctrine, with no further debate over their errors and heresies;
(2) accept as valid the Novus Ordo mass, which the Pope now calls the "Ordinary Rite", to distinguish it from the centuries-old Tridentine Mass which we are now told is "Extraordinary".
The truth that Bishop Bernard Fellay, the leader of the SSPX, refuses to recognize is that these two conditions have never been, in the Pope's mind, negotiable. We can see this now through the revelations of the Vatileaks documents, for the release of which the Pope's butler, Paolo Gabriele, was this week found guilty.
In trying to reach an accommodation of any sort with Rome, Fellay and his followers -- perhaps a minority within the SSPX -- have been wasting their time. It's not going to happen! As the Society's founder, Archbishop Lefebvre, might have said: no matter how long your spoon, you cannot sup with the Devil!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Why the butler did it: "for the good of the Church"
The butler did it! Or so the Vatican alleges. Paolo Gabriele, a reserved family man and devout Roman Catholic, who worked in Pope Benedict XVI’s apartments in the Apostolic palace, serving the pontiff meals and helping him dress, was indicted on Monday, along with another employee.
The two are accused of pilfering documents from the Holy Father's private apartment, in an embarrassing scandal that has exposed at least a small part of the corruption and struggle for power at the highest levels of the Vatican. Devotees of Our Lady of Fatima have been saying for decades that this "rot at the top" of the Church is at the heart of the Third Secret of Fatima -- the Great Secret that the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Bertone, told us was disclosed in full in 2000.
Sr Gabriele has been charged with grand theft. If convicted, he could be sentenced to six years in prison. During the investigation, the Vatican insisted that the butler acted alone. Many Vatican-watchers chose to take that story cum grano salis, as should be the case with every utterance from Father Lombardi and other Vatican spokesthingies.
And sure enough, Monday's indictment also orders the trial of Claudio Sciarpelletti, a computer expert in the Secretariat of State, the department run by, errr, Cardinal Bertone. office charged with aiding and abetting the butler. If Sr Sciarpelletti did what he is charged with doing, one must ask, would he have done so on his own, or would someone -- someone higher up -- have put him up to it.
And what about the butler? During the investigation, Sr Gabriele admitted he had been meeting with a journalist for some time, slipping him sensitive papers, including letters to the Pope. Why would he do that? For money? Or for some other reason...
He told the inquiry he never received payment for the documents, but felt he was acting for the good of the Church and as an agent of the Holy Spirit. In his testimony, Sr Gabriele said, "I saw evil and corruption everywhere in the Church." He went on to say that he felt the Pope was not sufficiently informed of such matters, and "I was sure that a shock, perhaps by using the media, could be a healthy thing to bring the Church back on the right track."
But Sr Gabriele talked to others besides the journalist. He confided in a man he called his "Spiritual Father," referred to in the indictment only as "B" -- "B" as in "Bertone"? -- and gave him copies of the incriminating papers. But "B" told investigators he destroyed the documents. Sure. Wouldn't want those to fall into the wrong hands, like the hands of enemies of... hmm... whom?
Sr Gabriele was described by friends and acquaintances as a pious man and good father, a discreet man held in high esteem. Notwithstanding his prior good character, he was was held in a tiny "safe room" ["cell", surely! Ed.] in the Vatican police station for two months during the investigation. He was finally let out in July, but remains under house arrest in his Vatican apartment. There he will stay until the commencement of the trial. Unless, God forbid, some unfortunate accident should befall him. There are precedents...
For a longer and deeper analysis, read "The Pope's Butler on Trial. But the Investigation Is Proceeding 'In Various Directions'" by noted Vaticanista Sandro Magister. Sr Magister points out that one of the leaked documents bears the placet of none other than our old friend (but no friend of Our Lady of Fatima) Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone.
The two are accused of pilfering documents from the Holy Father's private apartment, in an embarrassing scandal that has exposed at least a small part of the corruption and struggle for power at the highest levels of the Vatican. Devotees of Our Lady of Fatima have been saying for decades that this "rot at the top" of the Church is at the heart of the Third Secret of Fatima -- the Great Secret that the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Bertone, told us was disclosed in full in 2000.
Sr Gabriele has been charged with grand theft. If convicted, he could be sentenced to six years in prison. During the investigation, the Vatican insisted that the butler acted alone. Many Vatican-watchers chose to take that story cum grano salis, as should be the case with every utterance from Father Lombardi and other Vatican spokesthingies.
And sure enough, Monday's indictment also orders the trial of Claudio Sciarpelletti, a computer expert in the Secretariat of State, the department run by, errr, Cardinal Bertone. office charged with aiding and abetting the butler. If Sr Sciarpelletti did what he is charged with doing, one must ask, would he have done so on his own, or would someone -- someone higher up -- have put him up to it.
And what about the butler? During the investigation, Sr Gabriele admitted he had been meeting with a journalist for some time, slipping him sensitive papers, including letters to the Pope. Why would he do that? For money? Or for some other reason...
He told the inquiry he never received payment for the documents, but felt he was acting for the good of the Church and as an agent of the Holy Spirit. In his testimony, Sr Gabriele said, "I saw evil and corruption everywhere in the Church." He went on to say that he felt the Pope was not sufficiently informed of such matters, and "I was sure that a shock, perhaps by using the media, could be a healthy thing to bring the Church back on the right track."
But Sr Gabriele talked to others besides the journalist. He confided in a man he called his "Spiritual Father," referred to in the indictment only as "B" -- "B" as in "Bertone"? -- and gave him copies of the incriminating papers. But "B" told investigators he destroyed the documents. Sure. Wouldn't want those to fall into the wrong hands, like the hands of enemies of... hmm... whom?
Sr Gabriele was described by friends and acquaintances as a pious man and good father, a discreet man held in high esteem. Notwithstanding his prior good character, he was was held in a tiny "safe room" ["cell", surely! Ed.] in the Vatican police station for two months during the investigation. He was finally let out in July, but remains under house arrest in his Vatican apartment. There he will stay until the commencement of the trial. Unless, God forbid, some unfortunate accident should befall him. There are precedents...
For a longer and deeper analysis, read "The Pope's Butler on Trial. But the Investigation Is Proceeding 'In Various Directions'" by noted Vaticanista Sandro Magister. Sr Magister points out that one of the leaked documents bears the placet of none other than our old friend (but no friend of Our Lady of Fatima) Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Management shakeup coming at the Vatican?
On Wednesday Walt wondered "What has Cardinal Bertone got on Benedict XVI?". I was trying to decode the pope's public letter of support for his Secretary of State, Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone. Perhaps, I thought, Bertone has something -- documents or worse -- which he's holding over the pontiff's head, to keep his (Bertone's) job and maintain himself as the eminence grise, the power behind the Throne of Peter.
The only thing wrong with that notion is that Bertone does not appear to have much control ovr the Roman curia, although he may like to think he does. The proof is that other powerful cardinals are now seen as conspirators against the prelate -- the mutineers on the barque of Peter, as Sandro Magister puts it in Chiesa today.
As for Benedict's letter, if I were an Italian, and the head of my family publicly thanked me for my loyal support and expressed his confidence in me, I would keep my eyes fully open so as not to step in any buckets of wet cement. Of course the pope is not Italian. Well, not fully Italian...
Sr Magister seems to think the concrete -- the whole nine yards of it -- is being mixed at Castel Gandolfo (the pope's summer residence) as we speak. In today's article he writes of "an absence of management, which has allowed the growth within the Roman curia of the hidden rebellion of some of its civil servants....The Vatican Secretariat of State [Cardinal Bertone, officer "in charge". Walt] which from the time of Paul VI forward has also been the main engine of the central government of the Church, is inevitably also the main culprit of this disorientation."
"Benedict XVI is so aware of this", the noted Vaticanista continues, "that, in order to bring order back to the Sacred Palaces, he has not called upon his prime minister, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, but for the consultation of a college of adepts among those farthest from him: to begin with, cardinals Ruini, Ouellet, Tomko, Pell, Tauran."
Sr Magister's conclusion? "For a change of management in the Vatican curia, the moves are already underway." Stay tuned.
Note from Ed.: Walt and I are aware that we have many non-Catholic readers who couldn't care less what goes on in the Vatican. And some Catholics who should care, don't. Allow us to comment on this subject occasionally for Father Bill and those who do care, and we'll devote equal or more space and outrage to secular issues.
The only thing wrong with that notion is that Bertone does not appear to have much control ovr the Roman curia, although he may like to think he does. The proof is that other powerful cardinals are now seen as conspirators against the prelate -- the mutineers on the barque of Peter, as Sandro Magister puts it in Chiesa today.
As for Benedict's letter, if I were an Italian, and the head of my family publicly thanked me for my loyal support and expressed his confidence in me, I would keep my eyes fully open so as not to step in any buckets of wet cement. Of course the pope is not Italian. Well, not fully Italian...
Sr Magister seems to think the concrete -- the whole nine yards of it -- is being mixed at Castel Gandolfo (the pope's summer residence) as we speak. In today's article he writes of "an absence of management, which has allowed the growth within the Roman curia of the hidden rebellion of some of its civil servants....The Vatican Secretariat of State [Cardinal Bertone, officer "in charge". Walt] which from the time of Paul VI forward has also been the main engine of the central government of the Church, is inevitably also the main culprit of this disorientation."
"Benedict XVI is so aware of this", the noted Vaticanista continues, "that, in order to bring order back to the Sacred Palaces, he has not called upon his prime minister, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, but for the consultation of a college of adepts among those farthest from him: to begin with, cardinals Ruini, Ouellet, Tomko, Pell, Tauran."
Sr Magister's conclusion? "For a change of management in the Vatican curia, the moves are already underway." Stay tuned.
Note from Ed.: Walt and I are aware that we have many non-Catholic readers who couldn't care less what goes on in the Vatican. And some Catholics who should care, don't. Allow us to comment on this subject occasionally for Father Bill and those who do care, and we'll devote equal or more space and outrage to secular issues.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
What has Cardinal Bertone got on Benedict XVI?
The Catholic Faith -- the traditional faith handed down to us through the Apostles and great doctors of the Church -- is full of mysteries. That's what the priest used to tell us when we asked a difficult question, like the nature of the Holy Trinity. "It's a mystery..." is what he'd say.
The Church Herself is full of mysteries too. One of them is why Pope Benedict XVI keeps Cardinal Bertone on as his Secretary of State in spite of Bertone's obvious incompetence, manifest apostasy, and the Vatileaks scandal swirling around him. It's like a president or prime minister retaining a cabinet minister who's been caught out once too often and should have fallen on his sword (in this case his crozier) ages ago.
Instead of building the gangplank off which the prelate might be expected to walk, the captain of the good ship Vatican has just confirmed Bertone's position as First Mate. On Wednesday, the Vatican released a letter from the Holy Father to the cardinal, in which he said: "I wish to express my profound appreciation for your discreet support and your enlightened counsel which I have found of particular help in recent months.... Having noted with regret the unjust criticism raised against you, I want to renew the expression of my personal faith in you... which remains constant."
This ringing endorsement comes following the arrest of Paolo Gabriele, the pope's butler, which climaxed ten terrible days in May, during which the head of the Vatican bank was also fired and a new book alleged cronyism and corruption in a Holy See riven by conflict between plotting cardinals. Vaticanistas can't figure out if Cardinal Bertone is the plotter or the plottee. Benedict's statement seems to suggest that the pope believes the latter.
Unless of course Bertone has some sort of inside knowledge which, if made public, could embarrass or even destroy Benedict's pontificate. For instance, that Benedict, when he was Cardinal Ratzinger, not only colluded in but directed the conspiracy to bury forever the Third Secret of Fatima, widely believed to predict corruption and apostasy in the very highest places in the Vatican.
Church experts say the "Vatileaks", involving embarrassing details about officials Bertone has appointed or removed or projects he has promoted, suggested a concerted effort to force him out of his job. If he's made to go, he won't go alone, and he won't go quietly. At least, that's what Walt thinks, and that would explain the pope's unctuous expression of support.
Vaticanistas suggest a rival "diplomatic wing" including Bertone's predecessor, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, is involved in the plot against the secretary of state. Bertone likes to portray himself as a theologian and canon law expert, not a diplomat. He has been unpopular in some quarters for what is seen as an authoritarian style and his closeness to Italian politicians.
Meanwhile, Benedict relies on his secretary of state to run the daily business of the Vatican and its embassies abroad while he devotes much of his time to doctrinal issues and writing a three-book study of Jesus Christ. Sort of like the piano player in a brothel. "I don't know what goes on upstairs but I have the greatest confidence in the madam."
The Church Herself is full of mysteries too. One of them is why Pope Benedict XVI keeps Cardinal Bertone on as his Secretary of State in spite of Bertone's obvious incompetence, manifest apostasy, and the Vatileaks scandal swirling around him. It's like a president or prime minister retaining a cabinet minister who's been caught out once too often and should have fallen on his sword (in this case his crozier) ages ago.
Instead of building the gangplank off which the prelate might be expected to walk, the captain of the good ship Vatican has just confirmed Bertone's position as First Mate. On Wednesday, the Vatican released a letter from the Holy Father to the cardinal, in which he said: "I wish to express my profound appreciation for your discreet support and your enlightened counsel which I have found of particular help in recent months.... Having noted with regret the unjust criticism raised against you, I want to renew the expression of my personal faith in you... which remains constant."
This ringing endorsement comes following the arrest of Paolo Gabriele, the pope's butler, which climaxed ten terrible days in May, during which the head of the Vatican bank was also fired and a new book alleged cronyism and corruption in a Holy See riven by conflict between plotting cardinals. Vaticanistas can't figure out if Cardinal Bertone is the plotter or the plottee. Benedict's statement seems to suggest that the pope believes the latter.
Unless of course Bertone has some sort of inside knowledge which, if made public, could embarrass or even destroy Benedict's pontificate. For instance, that Benedict, when he was Cardinal Ratzinger, not only colluded in but directed the conspiracy to bury forever the Third Secret of Fatima, widely believed to predict corruption and apostasy in the very highest places in the Vatican.
Church experts say the "Vatileaks", involving embarrassing details about officials Bertone has appointed or removed or projects he has promoted, suggested a concerted effort to force him out of his job. If he's made to go, he won't go alone, and he won't go quietly. At least, that's what Walt thinks, and that would explain the pope's unctuous expression of support.
Vaticanistas suggest a rival "diplomatic wing" including Bertone's predecessor, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, is involved in the plot against the secretary of state. Bertone likes to portray himself as a theologian and canon law expert, not a diplomat. He has been unpopular in some quarters for what is seen as an authoritarian style and his closeness to Italian politicians.
Meanwhile, Benedict relies on his secretary of state to run the daily business of the Vatican and its embassies abroad while he devotes much of his time to doctrinal issues and writing a three-book study of Jesus Christ. Sort of like the piano player in a brothel. "I don't know what goes on upstairs but I have the greatest confidence in the madam."
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Cardinal non grata?
In the bad old daze of the Soviet Union, Kremlin-watchers used to keep careful track of who appeared at public meetings of the inner circles of the Communist Party. At events such as the annual May Day parade, who was on the reviewing platform and where they stood (literally) told you their position in the power structure. If someone who was once close (literally) to the top guy is suddenly notable by his absence, that told you something.
The Soviet Politburo was a model of transparency compared with the Roman Curia, the inner circle of cardinals who oversee the work of the Roman Catholic Church. You have to keep your eyes open to see who has the pope's ear, who's pulling the strings, and who's packing his bags.
There has been a lot of fast toing and froing since the breaking of the Vatileaks scandal in May. And a number of very important and very secret meetings too, including a number of special audiences with Pope Benedict XVI. A number of high-ranking officials have been called into the principal's office, so to speak, to do some `splainin'.
L'Osservatore Romano has just confirmed an unprecedented audience given by the Holy Father on Saturday last to Cardinals George Pell, Marc Ouellet (rumoured to be a top contender for the top spot), Jean-Louis Tauran, Camillo Ruini and Jozef Tomko.
Not among those invited to meet with the pope was Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, who is either the mastermind behind the conspiracy or the victim of the conspiracy, depending on whether you believe him or someone else. Bertone's non-attendance is being interpreted by Vaticanistas as a signal that his day as second-in-command to the pope are just about over. Traditional Catholics and devotees of Our Lady of Fatima would say Bertone's ouster is long overdue.
Beyond the question of whether and when Benedict XVI will decide to replace his closest collaborator, there's an increasingly cogent question of whether or not Bertone's successor could or should be a non-Italian. Except for the few months during which French Cardinal Jean Villot was Secretary of State, at the beginning of the pontificate of John Paul II, there has never been a time when the pope and the secretary of state were both non-Italian.
The idea of having a "foreign" secretary of state finds its justification in the desire to purify the Vatican of what Sandro Magister calls the "Italian intrigues" at the bottom of Vatileaks. Many think the Vatileaks question could have consequences for the future selection of a new pontiff. In fact, the idea that the leaking of documents is the result of Italian intrigues has led to the emergence of two scenarios.
On the one hand there are those who think that it would be better that a future pope not come from Italy. It is for this reason that the name of Cardinal Ouellet is being mentioned, since a North American would be good, but a born-in-the-USA American not so good. On the other hand, there are those who say that it would be better that the pope come from Italy, since only an Italian could understand, let alone unmask and eradicate the intrigues.
For the moment, such discussions remain purely academic. At the time of his elevation, it was thought that Benedict XVI was chosen to be a caretaker, for a short time, pending the emergence of a more worthy successor to John Paul II. Those who took that view evidently failed to remember Leo XIII, who was chosen, after the long pontificate of Pius IX, because he was rather elderly according to the criteria of the time. Leo lived to the age of 93.
More to the point, Leo was possessed of a keen intellect in spite of his "advancing years". In 1891 he issued his famous encyclical Rerum Novarum. This remarkable document -- which modernists in the Church seem to have forgotten about -- gave the Church's response to the class conflict which had risen in the wake of industrialization, and which led to the rise of socialism.
In Rerum Novarum, Leo taught that the role of the state is to promote social justice through the protection of rights, while the Church must speak out on social issues in order to teach correct social principles and ensure class harmony. He restated the Church's long-standing teaching regarding the crucial importance of private property rights, but recognized that the free operation of market forces must be tempered by moral considerations.
Rerum Novarum would be good reading for the leaders of today's world. But don't count on secular humanists like Hollande, Obama and the rest to take it to bed with them any time soon.
Footnote: Walt's updates on what's happening in the Vaticank and in the Church are posted for Father Bill and all others interested in the preservation of the traditional Catholic Faith. This post is based on an article by Sandro Magister, in Chiesa.
The Soviet Politburo was a model of transparency compared with the Roman Curia, the inner circle of cardinals who oversee the work of the Roman Catholic Church. You have to keep your eyes open to see who has the pope's ear, who's pulling the strings, and who's packing his bags.
There has been a lot of fast toing and froing since the breaking of the Vatileaks scandal in May. And a number of very important and very secret meetings too, including a number of special audiences with Pope Benedict XVI. A number of high-ranking officials have been called into the principal's office, so to speak, to do some `splainin'.
L'Osservatore Romano has just confirmed an unprecedented audience given by the Holy Father on Saturday last to Cardinals George Pell, Marc Ouellet (rumoured to be a top contender for the top spot), Jean-Louis Tauran, Camillo Ruini and Jozef Tomko.
Not among those invited to meet with the pope was Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, who is either the mastermind behind the conspiracy or the victim of the conspiracy, depending on whether you believe him or someone else. Bertone's non-attendance is being interpreted by Vaticanistas as a signal that his day as second-in-command to the pope are just about over. Traditional Catholics and devotees of Our Lady of Fatima would say Bertone's ouster is long overdue.
Beyond the question of whether and when Benedict XVI will decide to replace his closest collaborator, there's an increasingly cogent question of whether or not Bertone's successor could or should be a non-Italian. Except for the few months during which French Cardinal Jean Villot was Secretary of State, at the beginning of the pontificate of John Paul II, there has never been a time when the pope and the secretary of state were both non-Italian.
The idea of having a "foreign" secretary of state finds its justification in the desire to purify the Vatican of what Sandro Magister calls the "Italian intrigues" at the bottom of Vatileaks. Many think the Vatileaks question could have consequences for the future selection of a new pontiff. In fact, the idea that the leaking of documents is the result of Italian intrigues has led to the emergence of two scenarios.
On the one hand there are those who think that it would be better that a future pope not come from Italy. It is for this reason that the name of Cardinal Ouellet is being mentioned, since a North American would be good, but a born-in-the-USA American not so good. On the other hand, there are those who say that it would be better that the pope come from Italy, since only an Italian could understand, let alone unmask and eradicate the intrigues.
For the moment, such discussions remain purely academic. At the time of his elevation, it was thought that Benedict XVI was chosen to be a caretaker, for a short time, pending the emergence of a more worthy successor to John Paul II. Those who took that view evidently failed to remember Leo XIII, who was chosen, after the long pontificate of Pius IX, because he was rather elderly according to the criteria of the time. Leo lived to the age of 93.
More to the point, Leo was possessed of a keen intellect in spite of his "advancing years". In 1891 he issued his famous encyclical Rerum Novarum. This remarkable document -- which modernists in the Church seem to have forgotten about -- gave the Church's response to the class conflict which had risen in the wake of industrialization, and which led to the rise of socialism.
In Rerum Novarum, Leo taught that the role of the state is to promote social justice through the protection of rights, while the Church must speak out on social issues in order to teach correct social principles and ensure class harmony. He restated the Church's long-standing teaching regarding the crucial importance of private property rights, but recognized that the free operation of market forces must be tempered by moral considerations.
Rerum Novarum would be good reading for the leaders of today's world. But don't count on secular humanists like Hollande, Obama and the rest to take it to bed with them any time soon.
Footnote: Walt's updates on what's happening in the Vaticank and in the Church are posted for Father Bill and all others interested in the preservation of the traditional Catholic Faith. This post is based on an article by Sandro Magister, in Chiesa.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Bertone: "It's the Pope, not me!"
Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone is unable to keep his own counsel any longer! Having been named by La Repubblica [not to mention WWW! Ed.] as either the attacker or the attackee in the ongoing Vatileaks saga, the Man Who Would Be Pope has given an interview to RAI-TV on the leaks of confidential Vatican documents.
According to the "Prime Minister of the Vatican" the leaks are an attack on Pope Benedict XVI. Recalling an earlier day when Pope Paul VI was under attack from within the Vatican, the cardinal said that in this case "the attacks are more carefully aimed, and sometimes also ferocious, destructive, and organized". Click here to read the full text of the interview, as translated by the National Catholic Reporter.
Surely Walt is not the only one experiencing a certain cognitive dissonance here. In other words... say what?! Odd that the cardinal should point the finger at the Pope, since he -- not the Pope -- is the one who appears in an unfavourable light in the documents that have been released so far. None of the leaked documents has been embarrassing to the Holy Father.
Cardinal Bertone's use of the word "organized" to describe the leaks suggests that he shares the general belief in Rome that the leaks have been orchestrated by a group of people. But who is the organizer? Is there some kind of collective mind at work, or could it be just one jealous and disgruntled individual?
One more innocent question. Should we believe Cardinal Bertone? Or is this another instance of his going on the air to present misinformation and disinformation to a lapdog interviewer?
Something similar happened just over five years ago, on the popular RAI talk show Porta a Porta. On 31 May 2007 the cardinal got Bruno Vespa -- Italy's answer to Phil Donahue -- to toss him a couple of fungos on the subject of the Third Secret of Fatima, which Bertone insisted had been disclosed at last, in its entirety, on 26 June 2000.
Unfortunately for His Eminence, the interview turned into a huge "own goal", as Bertone showed the world, on live TV, that there were at least two envelopes whose contents (Sister Lucia wrote) were only to be opened in 1960. Until that interview, the cardinal had maintained that there was only one envelope, and that Lucia had never received an order from Our Lady referring to 1960.
For an excellent account of Cardinal Bertone's deception and his personal campaign to conceal the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Third Secret of Fatima, read The Secret Still Hidden by Christopher Ferrara (Good Counsel Publications, 2008).
In the old Soviet Union, it was said that you couldn't believe anything until it was officially denied. Walt thinks the same could be said of the Vatican Secretariat of State. Stay tuned.
Breaking news! We didn't have to stay tuned too long. None other than Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, has conceded that the multiple leaks of confidential documents have damaged the credibility of the Vatican. "Clearly to restore a climate of serenity and trust is a process," said Father Lombardi. (Walt's emphasis.) "It is not something that can be solved in a few days." Indeed? Indeed.
Further reading: "Benedict XVI admits Church's problems come 'from within'" posted here 11 May 2010.
According to the "Prime Minister of the Vatican" the leaks are an attack on Pope Benedict XVI. Recalling an earlier day when Pope Paul VI was under attack from within the Vatican, the cardinal said that in this case "the attacks are more carefully aimed, and sometimes also ferocious, destructive, and organized". Click here to read the full text of the interview, as translated by the National Catholic Reporter.
Surely Walt is not the only one experiencing a certain cognitive dissonance here. In other words... say what?! Odd that the cardinal should point the finger at the Pope, since he -- not the Pope -- is the one who appears in an unfavourable light in the documents that have been released so far. None of the leaked documents has been embarrassing to the Holy Father.
Cardinal Bertone's use of the word "organized" to describe the leaks suggests that he shares the general belief in Rome that the leaks have been orchestrated by a group of people. But who is the organizer? Is there some kind of collective mind at work, or could it be just one jealous and disgruntled individual?
One more innocent question. Should we believe Cardinal Bertone? Or is this another instance of his going on the air to present misinformation and disinformation to a lapdog interviewer?
Something similar happened just over five years ago, on the popular RAI talk show Porta a Porta. On 31 May 2007 the cardinal got Bruno Vespa -- Italy's answer to Phil Donahue -- to toss him a couple of fungos on the subject of the Third Secret of Fatima, which Bertone insisted had been disclosed at last, in its entirety, on 26 June 2000.
Unfortunately for His Eminence, the interview turned into a huge "own goal", as Bertone showed the world, on live TV, that there were at least two envelopes whose contents (Sister Lucia wrote) were only to be opened in 1960. Until that interview, the cardinal had maintained that there was only one envelope, and that Lucia had never received an order from Our Lady referring to 1960.
For an excellent account of Cardinal Bertone's deception and his personal campaign to conceal the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Third Secret of Fatima, read The Secret Still Hidden by Christopher Ferrara (Good Counsel Publications, 2008).
In the old Soviet Union, it was said that you couldn't believe anything until it was officially denied. Walt thinks the same could be said of the Vatican Secretariat of State. Stay tuned.
Breaking news! We didn't have to stay tuned too long. None other than Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, has conceded that the multiple leaks of confidential documents have damaged the credibility of the Vatican. "Clearly to restore a climate of serenity and trust is a process," said Father Lombardi. (Walt's emphasis.) "It is not something that can be solved in a few days." Indeed? Indeed.
Further reading: "Benedict XVI admits Church's problems come 'from within'" posted here 11 May 2010.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Repubblica names Bertone in Vatileaks scandal
On May 28th Walt told you "Bertone... it's Bertone!" who's at the centre of the Vatileaks scandal which is the talk of Rome and the whole Catholic Church. Either he's the target of a campaign by his many enemies in the Curia, or he's the mastermind behind dirty tricks aimed at Pope Benedict XVI, to whom Bertone thinks he's heir apparent.Paolo Gabriele, the pope's butler, who was caught in possession of confidential documents which he should not have had, is only a small fry. But the name of the big friar [oh please! Ed.] has not been spoken in Rome, until now.
In its Sunday edition, the influential Rome newspaper La Repubblica published documents it says it received anonymously after Gabriele's arrest on May 23rd. That means that Gabriele could not be the only person in possession of confidential correspondence. There are others!
And there are not just a few documents but, according to a note received by the newspaper, "hundreds more". Gabriele, it confided, was just a scapegoat. But for whom?
One letter, dated January 16th, concerning a liturgical matter, was sent by Raymond Cardinal Burke -- the American sometimes called "Bully Burke" -- to Pope Benedict's secretary of state. That would be... wait for it... Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone.
Whoever sent the documents to La Repubblica also provided two letters signed by the pope's private secretary, Monsignor Georg Gaenswein. (He's the one standing behind the pope. No knife is visible in the picture.) The newspaper said those letters had everything but the letterhead and the signature whited out "so as not to offend the Holy Father," according to the note accompanying the documents.
The person who sent the documents to La Repubblica said Cardinal Bertone and Monsignor Gaenswein were "those really responsible for this scandal". The writer threatened to reveal the contents of Gaenswein's letters, and possibly other embarrassing details, soon. Stay tuned.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
What the Vatican butler saw
The "Vatileaks" story -- an investigation into a recent series of links of sensitive Vatican documents -- is taking on the air of a great detective story, or even a "St. James Bond" thriller! This week saw the arrest by the Vatican police -- yes, the Holy See does have a gendarmerie -- of none other than the Pope's butler, Paolo Gabriele.
Signor Gabriele, who has been majordomo of the Holy Father's household for six years, was allegedly discovered in possession of confidential documents. He is now being held in the Vatican's little used jail -- they have one of those too -- for further questioning. [Do I hear the rack being dusted off? Ed.]
But who is Signor Gabriele? What documents would he be filching, and why? Although he's a member of the pontifical household, Gabriele is only a layman. Would he know the significance of the letters and files with which he was caught? One can picture him looking at confidential documents on the Pope's desk while he did the dusting, but what would someone with no particular influence, acting on his own, do with the papers? Sell them on eBay? Hardly likely!
Vatican insiders are convinced that the "Vatileaks" scandal has been orchestrated by some more senior official... someone deeply involved in the ongoing power struggle within the Vatican. Perhaps the point of Gabriele's arrest is to set him up as a scapegoat to deflect attention from the real mastermind... perhaps a powerful prelate. Shades of Lee Harvey Oswald! Let's hope nothing happens to the butler before he can talk!
Walt is waiting with bated (not baited) breath for the next reel, in which the identity of the villain is revealed. Want to play the guessing game with me? Ask yourself what Italian cardinal likes to regard himself as the Pope's prime minister... the No. 2 man at the Vatican... the eminence grise... the power behind the Chair of Peter.
Which cardinal feels it's time for the papacy to pass back into the hands of an Italian... like his eminent self, for instance? Those who believe Lyndon Johnson was behind the assassination of JFK should have no trouble deducing the identity of the Man Who Would Be Pope. Lifetime pct .989.
Signor Gabriele, who has been majordomo of the Holy Father's household for six years, was allegedly discovered in possession of confidential documents. He is now being held in the Vatican's little used jail -- they have one of those too -- for further questioning. [Do I hear the rack being dusted off? Ed.]
But who is Signor Gabriele? What documents would he be filching, and why? Although he's a member of the pontifical household, Gabriele is only a layman. Would he know the significance of the letters and files with which he was caught? One can picture him looking at confidential documents on the Pope's desk while he did the dusting, but what would someone with no particular influence, acting on his own, do with the papers? Sell them on eBay? Hardly likely!
Vatican insiders are convinced that the "Vatileaks" scandal has been orchestrated by some more senior official... someone deeply involved in the ongoing power struggle within the Vatican. Perhaps the point of Gabriele's arrest is to set him up as a scapegoat to deflect attention from the real mastermind... perhaps a powerful prelate. Shades of Lee Harvey Oswald! Let's hope nothing happens to the butler before he can talk!
Walt is waiting with bated (not baited) breath for the next reel, in which the identity of the villain is revealed. Want to play the guessing game with me? Ask yourself what Italian cardinal likes to regard himself as the Pope's prime minister... the No. 2 man at the Vatican... the eminence grise... the power behind the Chair of Peter.
Which cardinal feels it's time for the papacy to pass back into the hands of an Italian... like his eminent self, for instance? Those who believe Lyndon Johnson was behind the assassination of JFK should have no trouble deducing the identity of the Man Who Would Be Pope. Lifetime pct .989.
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