Beneath the smoke and mirrors

So the name calling over the Correctio continues, and Catholic commentators from both sides suffer from digital strain as they bash away at their keyboards delivering the next broadside against those...  

(please choose from the two options: for nasty progressives/pseudo protestants/liberals, please press one; for rigid/ schismatic/ old church relics, please press two) who oppose them.

    Of course this is not to diminish the gravity of the situation, all the councils' chickens have come home to roost, modernism is firmly ensconced on the papal throne and the chaos and confusion are plain for all to see (especially if you're a jihadi gleefully rubbing your hands while you and your mates make a quick video and viewing of the real estate  in St Peter's square).

   Simmering under this and rearing its ugly head every once in a while is another issue - corruption. Some say that Francis evokes memories of John XXIII, however his administration resembles nothing so much as the last years of the pontificate of Paul VI. That was a particularly grubby episode in the long life of the Vatican ( and yes there have been few ) where politics and finance became intertwined in the fight against communism in Italy. CIA, the Mafia, dodgy banks , the freemasons, all in one huge revolting mess. JPII dealt with the after shocks of this and then it seemed to disappear. The resignation of Benedict is surrounded by whispers of financial blackmail, the head of the IOR being ousted and the pernicious influence of the church tax rich German episcopal conference.

  However under the blinkered and petty stewardship of Francis, it seems as if it is business as usual for the murkier elements of the Vatican machinery. Lets look at the track record.

Cardinal Pell is appointed as economic tsar to oversee the economic reform of the Vatican by this Pope of the people. Almost immediately there commences a smear campaign against this prelate (I'm not judging whether the claims against him are true or false, but the timing is interesting). He initiates the process of bringing in PWC to do an audit of the Vatican books, whoosh!! he's gone back to Australia to answer court charges and the PWC are politely told to get lost and that an internal audit will suffice. However this doesn't turn out so well as the official in question resigns amid claims that his computer was hacked and that his attempts to reach the Pope to inform of his investigation were continually blocked by various departments within the Curia.

     Oh by the way, the whole debacle of the Order of Malta had less to do with who supervised the distribution of contraceptives (a grave sin in itself) and more to do with control of the organisation so that a huge endowment of dubious origin and handled by shady concerns could enrich the coffers. Fra Festing is forced to resign, the Vatican take over, the Grand Chancellor gets reinstated, his brother immediately gets a nice job in the IOR and the first installment of the money (which had been the subject of an internal investigation by the Order) gets deposited into the Vatican bank for 'safekeeping', as announced by the Vatican Secretary of State, who happens to be pals with the disgraced (but reinstated) Grand Chancellor, as well as being acquainted with the head of the trust fund handling the money now nestled in the IOR.

   Meanwhile, many differing sources speak of a climate of fear and intimidation in the Curia. One dare not speak openly, sycophants report all negative murmurings to the Pope, who seems to have no qualms about dismissing people on hearsay and with no explanation. The man of dialogue, will only talk to those who share his humanist/ populist vision.

No reform, rather demolition of dogma and morality. No transparency, rather shady dealings and corruption. No dialogue, rather intimidation and exclusion.

Something stinks to high heaven and it's not the Roman sewers.

On a lighter note...

Q Why did the Catholic cross the road?
A  Because he had been told to go to the peripheries.


Q How many Catholics does it take to change a light bulb?
A Solemn nonsense!! why should the bulb change?

Q What do you call an evangelical Protestant in the Vatican?
A Right at home.

Sticks and stones...

|You can imagine it can't you, kids in a playground having an argument. It could be over anything, the best football team, the strongest in the class, which of Mozart's concerti has the most evocative phrases... ok maybe not the last one. Then comes the crunch the smart kid comes up with a devastating line, one that requires time and thought to respond to in an adequate fashion. His youthful opponent does not have the time, or the patience or perhaps the mental capacity to respond in an equally cutting/ intelligent/ humorous manner. Desperately casting around he strikes upon pure gold, the best possible retort, ' At least I don't wear glasses, specky four eyes!!'
   Brilliant tatic!! Now it devolves into a spiteful tit for tat at the lowest level, name calling. In one fell swoop the loser changes the playing field and brings his more skillful opponent down to his level, the original subject for the argument is lost amidst such classic lines as 'well you must eat poo because you have smelly breath!'
         Let us now leave the lowly school playground and wing our way to the exquisitely ornate halls and corridors of the Vatican  where the Filial Correction was received, studied and deliberated upon in a mature and thoughtful manner. Well no, it wasn't. The response was more akin to playground banter than to the measured response from the ancient see of Saint Peter. Pejorative names, dismissive utterances and shady practices are the answer from the lap dogs and what about Il Papa himself, what was his response when this was presented to him weeks ago? Not a sausage. The prince of dialogue, the champion of the peripheries what say you? Not a word.
   Anybody who follows the Argentinian pontiff will be well used to this. The humble prelate remains aloof while his underlings scurry about muddying the waters. The actual substance of the questions, the calls for clarification, the appeals for orthodoxy are left unanswered, ignored, while the proposers are vilified, demoted and persecuted.
Mercy is quickly substituted for spitefulness.
Stick and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.
Its time to brave it out, its time to stand up and say no more, no more willful destruction of the One True Faith.

   
     

Vatican now a major threat to national sovereignty!!

The recent letter from the special Vatican delegate/ overseer/re-educator for the Order of Malta to Fra' Matthew Festing represents another infamous chapter in the ominous increasing power of the present pontiff. Not content with interfering with and eventually co-opting a internationally recognised sovereign entity, now it issues requests preventing individuals from setting foot in another separate sovereign state. The gentleman in question can not visit the Trevi fountain or the Victor Emmanuel Monument!! The English gent has every right to visit the Eternal city and amble around it, if he feels some sense of duty or heeds the polite letter he can choose not to set one foot in the territory of the Vatican city state but he can not be prevented from spending time in the capital of Italy!!
    We, as free minded democratic people must resist this power grab from the humble pontiff and his minions, it is time to stand up or else you may find a Vatican tank parked outside your door in the morning. !!!

   In other news, Pope Emeritus/ Father Benedict, yes you remember him the other guy in white, celebrated his 90th birthday!!  Which leads to a thought, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 90th birthday a while ago yet she is still on the throne??  She must be made of sterner stuff (but they both have German heritage) or is it that her advisers didn't push her? That particular tangled web will take a while to unravel. Meanwhile sit back, break out the popcorn and enjoy the auto-demolition of the one true Faith.