"To be sure it is no simple matter to discern what action the Pope wants the American bishops to take; his lengthy letter offers them no clear directions.
But he writes at length about how they should approach their problems, and in doing so he conveys a strong message about the path he prefers and, more important, the path he wants the American hierarchy to abandon.
First, the Pope tells the American bishops that this is their problem. "In recent years," he writes, "the Church in the United States has been shaken by various scandals that have gravely affected its credibility." [emphasis added] He describes their retreat as "a necessary step toward responding in the spirit of the Gospel to the crisis of credibility that you are experiencing as a Church." [emphasis added]
Nowhere does he acknowledge that the scandal has shaken the entire universal Church, and that especially this past year, the most serious questions about credibility have been aimed directly at the Vatican.
Second, the Pope repeatedly exhorts the American hierarchy to preserve unity, to avoid divisions, to act as a fraternal body. His dogged insistence on this message – which occasionally escalates into blunt criticism, as when he urges them to "break the vicious cycle of recrimination, undercutting, and discrediting" – strongly suggests that there has been a great deal of public quarreling among the American bishops.
Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano is not mentioned in the papal letter, but his testimony casts a long shadow across its pages. The Pope and his allies have denounced the former Vatican diplomat as a threat to Church unity, and it is that sort of division that Pope Francis wants the Americans to avoid.
Too late! Dozens of American bishops are already on record, calling for a thorough investigation of Archbishop Vigano's charges. By his adamant silence – which is conspicuously maintained in this letter – Pope Francis has indicated that he will not approve any investigation. So now, he tells the American bishops, they should resolve to move on, maintaining unity, without probing further into potentially painful subjects such as the influence of a corrupt homosexual network within the hierarchy and within the Vatican.
That topic, the Pope signals, will remain off limits."
Lifesite
But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
Genesis 13:13
But he writes at length about how they should approach their problems, and in doing so he conveys a strong message about the path he prefers and, more important, the path he wants the American hierarchy to abandon.
First, the Pope tells the American bishops that this is their problem. "In recent years," he writes, "the Church in the United States has been shaken by various scandals that have gravely affected its credibility." [emphasis added] He describes their retreat as "a necessary step toward responding in the spirit of the Gospel to the crisis of credibility that you are experiencing as a Church." [emphasis added]
Nowhere does he acknowledge that the scandal has shaken the entire universal Church, and that especially this past year, the most serious questions about credibility have been aimed directly at the Vatican.
Second, the Pope repeatedly exhorts the American hierarchy to preserve unity, to avoid divisions, to act as a fraternal body. His dogged insistence on this message – which occasionally escalates into blunt criticism, as when he urges them to "break the vicious cycle of recrimination, undercutting, and discrediting" – strongly suggests that there has been a great deal of public quarreling among the American bishops.
Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano is not mentioned in the papal letter, but his testimony casts a long shadow across its pages. The Pope and his allies have denounced the former Vatican diplomat as a threat to Church unity, and it is that sort of division that Pope Francis wants the Americans to avoid.
Too late! Dozens of American bishops are already on record, calling for a thorough investigation of Archbishop Vigano's charges. By his adamant silence – which is conspicuously maintained in this letter – Pope Francis has indicated that he will not approve any investigation. So now, he tells the American bishops, they should resolve to move on, maintaining unity, without probing further into potentially painful subjects such as the influence of a corrupt homosexual network within the hierarchy and within the Vatican.
That topic, the Pope signals, will remain off limits."
Lifesite
But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
Genesis 13:13