What Title Can Fit The Unthinkable?
A report of a stunning, deeply troubling letter by a former Papal Nuncio (the Pope’s Ambassador to the U.S.) made public two days ago (Aug 25, 2018), is sending shock waves through the Church. Faithful, loyal Catholics are faced now with the unthinkable: credible charges of papal knowledge, support and cover-up in a case of widely alleged grave sexual misconduct by then-Cardinal Theodore MacCarrick, on the part of Pope Francis.
Following the tidal wave of sexual abuse charges against priests and bishops and cardinals of the Church finding unimaginable and horrific charges of years of free predatory serial sexual abuses perpetrated by then-Cardinal Theodore MacCarrick, it all has gotten even worse: was the Pope involved?
The former Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, chose to publicize all this, the National Catholic Register reported, to “stop the suffering of the victims, to prevent new victims and to protect the Church: only the truth can make her free.” And further, to “discharge my conscience in front of God of my responsibilities as bishop for the universal Church.” Knowing that he is an “old man” he wanted to stand before God “with a clean conscience.”
The Archbishop added, “The people of God have the right to know the full truth also regarding their shepherds. They have the right to be guided by good shepherds. In order to be able to trust them and love them, they have to know them openly, in transparency and truth, as they really are. A priest should always be a light on a candle, everywhere and for all.”
Critical parts, at least, of Vigano’s charges agains the pope were confirmed by Monsignor Jean-François Lantheaume, the former first counsellor at the U.S. apostolic nunciature: Vigano “told the truth,” he said.
A portion of Archbishop Vigano’s letter, perhaps something of a summary, is duplicated below:
I want to recall [the] indefectible truth of the Church’s holiness to the many people who have been so deeply scandalized by the abominable and sacrilegious behavior of the former Archbishop of Washington, Theodore McCarrick; by the grave, disconcerting and sinful conduct of Pope Francis and by the conspiracy of silence of so many pastors, and who are tempted to abandon the Church, disfigured by so many ignominies. At the Angelus on Sunday, August 12, 2018 Pope Francis said these words: “Everyone is guilty for the good he could have done and did not do … If we do not oppose evil, we tacitly feed it. We need to intervene where evil is spreading; for evil spreads where daring Christians who oppose evil with good are lacking.”
If this is rightly to be considered a serious moral responsibility for every believer, how much graver is it for the Church’s supreme pastor, who in the case of McCarrick not only did not oppose evil but associated himself in doing evil with someone he knew to be deeply corrupt. He followed the advice of someone he knew well to be a pervert, thus multiplying exponentially with his supreme authority the evil done by McCarrick. And how many other evil pastors is Francis still continuing to prop up in their active destruction of the Church!
Francis is abdicating the mandate which Christ gave to Peter to confirm the brethren. Indeed, by his action he has divided them, led them into error, and encouraged the wolves to continue to tear apart the sheep of Christ’s flock.
In this extremely dramatic moment for the universal Church, he must acknowledge his mistakes and, in keeping with the proclaimed principle of zero tolerance, Pope Francis must be the first to set a good example for cardinals and bishops who covered up McCarrick’s abuses and resign along with all of them.
I encourage my readers to read Archbishop Vigano’s letter themselves. The eleven-page letter of the former Papal Nuncio was released to several news sources and is available on-line. It can be read in entirety or down-loaded HERE. It is hard to read, and long and involved, and deeply troubling. Other well-known bishops and cardinals were also implicated in his letter.
Pope Francis himself was asked about this letter and his response to it, by news reporters as he was leaving Ireland and the World Meeting for Families. The Pope answered:
I will say sincerely that I must say this, to you, and all of you who are interested: Read the document carefully and judge it for yourselves. I will not say one word on this. I think the statement speaks for itself.
The following sentences of the Pope’s answer were added here, from a later, complete transcript of the Pope’s in-flight interview published by the Catholic News Agency:
And you have the journalistic capacity to draw your own conclusions. It’s an act of faith. When some time passes and you have drawn your conclusions, I may speak. But, I would like your professional maturity to do the work for you. It will be good for you. That’s good. (inaudible)
Whatever the full truth, when finally revealed, of this whole horrible episode in the life of the Church, it is certain that we are strongly and urgently being called by God to prayer: to fervent, heart-felt and holy prayer to Mary, to the angels and saints, to God the Holy Trinity, that His perfect will be done, that His Kingdom of truth, of justice, of peace and of holy love come – and may it come soon. May we all – laity and clergy at all levels of the Church – seek the holiness of life that our Lord deserves of His followers, and that people of the whole world deserve from His witnesses sent to them.
Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus.
