"Powerful Gay Mafia" exposed in Scottish Church

From the Daily Record, reporting on the crisis in the Church in the Diocese of Motherwell, Scotland: 

A SERVING priest has accused the Catholic Church in Scotland of covering up a culture of sexual bullying by a powerful gay mafia.

Father Matthew Despard, 48, says sexual misconduct has been rife in junior seminaries, where priests are trained, for decades. And he claims that when he alerted Church authorities to inappropriate sexual conduct, nothing was done. Fr Despard, the parish priest of St John Ogilvie church in High Blantyre, Lanarkshire, says he fears for the future of his Church if no action is taken to end the scandal.

He has taken the difficult decision to publish a book on his experiences, Priesthood in Crisis....

In the bombshell book, Fr Despard writes: “My concern is that if we don’t face up to what is happening in reality, the Church will suffer enormous damage. “The accusations I have been making may appear intolerable to some and truly I have trouble making them....“The Catholic Church here in Scotland, and I am ashamed to admit this, has justified itself to Catholic papers by telling lie after lie, denying charges that are true, and claiming they have been defamed when the facts reported in the press are quite simply true."

UPDATE: Fr. Despard's book is true; please link here.

Dirty Tricks: Who is trying to discredit the Cardinals' secret report to the Pope?

A disturbing and disgusting report in La Stampa by Vatican "insider", Marco Tosatti claims that the Vatileaks dossier cannot be trusted and that His Excellency Carlo Maria Vigano, Nuncio to the United States is a liar. Tosatti is the same man who just a few days ago reviewed a number of "candidates" for the all important job of Secretary of State.

Tosatti wrote:

The Church is not short of possible candidates, starting with Archbishop Piero Parolin, Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela. Archbishop Celestine Migliore, the Pope’s current ambassador in Warsaw who represented the Holy See at the UN is another potential future collaborator of the Pope. Both have close ties with the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Angelo Sodano

Tosatti further mentions Archbishop Ventura (former Nuncio to Canada, and a follower of the late Cardinal Casarolli). Ventura, it should be noted played a major role in the selection process of Canadian bishops (no more need be said).  

On his latest report, Tosatti seeks to undermine the three Cardinals Dossier. Suddenly, we are to believe they are not credible; the dossier is based on reports from Archbishop Vigano - whom, so we are to believe, is a fraudster. Strangely, the 300 page dossier - now no longer reliable - is supplanted with a 300 (!) page report by then Pope Benedict. Having not read the Dossier, I find it bizarre that Tosatti dismisses it out of hand. Who would benefit by such a smear campaign against Vigano and the three Cardinals? Well, just look at Tosatti's "short list" for Secretary of State" Cardinal Sodano, by any other name. 

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. 

Voris is right! - "They" are trying to pit Francis against Benedict

Michael Voris has a very interesting video out, well worth watching. Voris suggests that the secular media is trying to exploit unimportant differences in Papal style (e.g. the colour of His Holiness' shoes) to eventually differences in doctrine. Voris is correct. 

To video the video, click here

Moreover, Pope Francis has struck back at the media over the past two days with his public references to Benedict: his warm public embrace of Benedict at Castel Gandolfo, his reference that they 'are brothers", his gift of the Madonna of Humility, his insistence that they pray together in the Papal Chapel, his development of Benedict's meditation on the Cross as a Throne in today's Palm Sunday Homily. 

A change in style does not indicate a change in doctrine. Pius X "scandalized" many faithful with his innovation that he no longer dine alone. Pius brought to the papacy the experiences of a bishop with vast pastoral experience; likewise Francis. 

Unlike the apostate Archbishop of Canterbury, who is at the beck and call of his Synod, deciding "doctrine" on personal feelings; Pope Francis is bound by the Gospels and Tradition (e.g. the Councils). Even if he wanted to (I say this for the sake of argument), he could not change Church teachings. Can a Pope err, is he impeccable? In fact, the Pope alluded to himself being a sinner like the rest of us in his Palm Sunday sermon. But he is infallible in matters of Faith and Morals. Long live Pope Francis!

p.s. On a personal note, I would rather the Pope wear a pair of "Church's". You can get a good 10 years out of them; and they are incredibly comfortable. 

"The devil comes, often disguised as an angel " - Pope Francis

The danger of satan, the joy of being Christian, the Cross - all important themes from the Holy Father's Palm Sunday sermon: 

Ours is not a joy that comes from having many possessions, but from having encountered a Person: Jesus, from knowing that with him we are never alone, even at difficult moments, even when our life’s journey comes up against problems and obstacles that seem insurmountable, and there are so many of them! It is at this time that the enemy comes, the devil comes, often disguised as an angel who insidiously tells us his word. Do not listen to him! We follow Jesus!...

The Holy Father then preached on the centrality of the Cross; referencing his venerable predecessor, Benedict XVI: 

A second word: why does Jesus enter Jerusalem? Or better: how does Jesus enter Jerusalem? The crowds acclaim him as King. And he does not deny it, he does not tell them to be silent (cf. Lk 19:39-40). But what kind of a King is Jesus? Let us take a look at him: he is riding on a donkey, he is not accompanied by a court, he is not surrounded by an army as a symbol of power. He is received by humble people, simple folk, who sense that there is more to Jesus, who have the sense of faith that says, "This is the Savior." Jesus does not enter the Holy City to receive the honours reserved to earthly kings, to the powerful, to rulers; he enters to be scourged, insulted and abused, as Isaiah foretold in the First Reading (cf. Is 50:6). He enters to receive a crown of thorns, a staff, a purple robe: his kingship becomes an object of derision. He enters to climb Calvary, carrying his burden of wood. And this brings us to the second word: Cross. Jesus enters Jerusalem in order to die on the Cross. And it is here that his kingship shines forth in godly fashion: his royal throne is the wood of the Cross! I think of what Benedict XVI said to the cardinals: "You are princes but of a Crucified King" that is Christ's throne. Jesus takes it upon himself..why? Why the Cross? Jesus takes upon himself the evil, the filth, the sin of the world, including our own sin, and he cleanses it, he cleanses it with his blood, with the mercy and the love of God. Let us look around: how many wounds are inflicted upon humanity by evil! Wars, violence, economic conflicts that hit the weakest, greed for money, which no-one can bring with him. My grandmother would say to us children, no shroud has pockets! Greed for money, power, corruption, divisions, crimes against human life and against creation! And - each of us knows well - our personal sins: our failures in love and respect towards God, towards our neighbour and towards the whole of creation. Jesus on the Cross feels the whole weight of the evil, and with the force of God’s love he conquers it, he defeats it with his resurrection. This is the good that Christ brings to all of us from the Cross, his throne. Christ’s Cross embraced with love does not lead to sadness, but to joy! The joy of being saved and doing a little bit what he did that day of his death. 

Video of Pope Francis with Benedict XVI

Video is now available of Pope Francis' meeting with Benedict XVI. 

"we are brothers" Pope Francis

Benedict with the Supreme Pontiff, Pope Francis

BREAKING NEWS: Pope Francis meets Benedict XVI: "we are brothers"

The Holy Father has met his revered predecessor, Benedict XVI at Castel Gandolo today: 

“The helicopter landed in Castel Gandolfo heliport, at about 12:15 and the car with the retired Pope approached the helicopter landing site. The Holy Father alighted: he was accompanied by the Substitute [Secretary of State] Msgr. Becciu, by Msgr. Sapienza and Msgr. Alfred Xuereb. As the Pope alighted, the Pope Emeritus approached him and there was a moving embrace between the two. 

Then, there followed brief greetings with those other present- the bishop of Albano and the Director of the Pontifical Villas, Mr. Petrillo – they all got in the car: Pope Francis on the right, then place reserved to the Pope, and the Pope emeritus on the left. Msgr. Georg Gänswein, who is Prefect of the Papal Household, travelled in the same car. And so, the car brought the two protagonists of this historic meeting to the elevators and they went up to the apartments and immediately went to the chapel for a moment of prayer. 

In the chapel, the Pope emeritus offered the place of honor to Pope Francis, but he said: "We are brothers," and wanted them to kneel together in the same pew. After a short moment of prayer, they then went to the private library where, at about 12:30, the private meeting began. This is the Library where the Pope normally receives important guests in Castel Gandolfo. Pope Francis brought a beautiful icon as a gift for the Pope emeritus. It was an icon of Our Lady of Humility, as a gift for Benedict XVI's great humility. Their discussions ended at 13.15, lasting about 45 minutes. It should be noted, with regard to the clothing, which actually - as we mentioned earlier - the Pope emeritus wears a simple cassock white, without a sash and without a mantella: these are the two details which distinguish his clothing from that of Pope Francis who wears a mantella and sash. 

Read more. 

Pope Francis: Is the media trying to manipulate the Papacy?

My initial impression seem to be a strong desire of many in the media - including Catholic media - who are trying to pit Pope Francis against Benedict XVI. One classic example is the constant harping on about "humility" - as if the previous Pontiff were not a humble man. 

But the attacks go even deeper: 

From La Stampa/Catholic Insider: 

 Are the events of recent days just a “honey moon” between the new Pope and the people that is destined to end soon? We must wait and see what will happen. But we must recognise the Church’s spectacular ability to renew itself and start afresh with energy, despite the resignation of a Pope.

Francis’ first days as Pope were marked by a heavy focus on the differences between him and his predecessor. It is true that Bergoglio’s mission is characterised by a simple style, continuously breaking rigid protocol, as Wojtyla had done since the start of his pontificate. But urban myths started to circulate within the first few hours of his papacy. According to one of these rumours, straight after his election, Francis apparently refused to wear the red velvet mozzetta trimmed with (synthetic) ermine, saying to the Master of Papal Ceremonies, Guido Marini: “You can wear it! The carnival’s over.” A rude and boorish comment to make to the Master of Ceremonies. As far as Vatican Insider has learnt, said comment was never made. As Marini placed the mozzetta on Francis, the Pope simply said: “I would prefer you didn’t.” No reference was made the carnival and no humiliating comment was made against the Master of Ceremonies.

Angelo Sodano: Or, what is wrong with the Roman Curia

In May, 2011, John Allen wrote an interesting report on the possibility of Angelo Cardinal Sodano remaining Dean of the College of Cardinals following a papal death. In essence, we had this, a couple of weeks ago. Allen seems to have forgotten his own admonition: that Sodano front and centre will bring disgrace on the Church. Not only Allen, but virtually the entire media was silent on Sodano's past. One wonders why. Ignorance (certainly), stupidity (without doubt).... but for the more clever...? There are those who prefer a corrupt Roman Curia for various and sundry reasons... Angelo Sodano personifies what is wrong in Rome. 

Allen nicely sums up a number of key points about Sodano:

First, Sodano is known as perhaps the most stalwart defender in the Vatican of the late Mexican Fr. Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of the Legionaries of Christ. The Legionaries have acknowledged that Maciel was guilty of a wide range of misconduct, including the sexual abuse of former members. As late as 2005, while the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was reaching the conclusion that Maciel was guilty, the Secretariat of State under Sodano issued a public statement denying there was any case against him.

Second, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna charged in May 2010 that it was Sodano who blocked an investigation against Schönborn's predecessor, Cardinal Hans Hermann Groër, when Groër faced charges of sexual abuse in the 1990s. (At the time, Schönborn and other Austrian bishops announced they were "morally convinced" of Groër's guilt.) Although Schönborn later apologized for publicly reprimanding a fellow cardinal, he never retracted the substance of the charge.

Third, it was Sodano who sparked international outrage last year by using a platform during Pope Benedict's Easter Mass to compare criticism of the church on the sexual abuse crisis to "petty gossip."

That dismissal seemed at odds with Benedict's own commentary, including his famous reference on Good Friday in 2005 to "filth" in the church. In fact, the furor over Sodano's "petty gossip" line didn't really die down until Benedict fielded a question en route to Fatima, Portugal, and replied that the real problem is not attacks from the outside but "the reality of sin inside the church."

Fourth, Sodano recently roiled the waters again with his response to a question about Maciel during the run-up to John Paul's beatification.

"How can you, in such a great moment, get into such peripheral issues when the world is applauding the pope?" Sodano said on the sidelines of a Vatican exhibit honoring the late pope. "I'm stunned."

Whatever Sodano may have meant, the take-away for many people was that Sodano had called the suffering of sexual abuse victims a "peripheral" concern.

Beyond those points, there's also the whiff of financial scandal. In 2008, an Italian businessman Raffaello Follieri was sentenced to four and a half years in prison in New York for cheating investors out of millions of dollars. He built the scheme by playing off Vatican ties, in particular to Sodano.

No doubt, those inclined to give Sodano the benefit of the doubt could argue that there are ways to explain all this. The fact remains, however, that in terms of public perceptions, having Cardinal Angelo Sodano front and center whenever the pope dies would be counter-productive for a church trying to convince the world that it's turned a corner.