An update indicates the caller was the Sostituto, Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra which underscores the mammoth clout and complete access of the Vatican’s de facto “chief of staff”. Of course he would have known the pope was in a public audience. Why would he call and expect the Holy Father to take the call which His Holiness did. How peculiar, how odd, and is this more “court-intrigue” and a hireling making a narcissistic point about how important he is?
Very odd. What could be so important? Something like Pope Emeritus taking back his renunciation?
John Allen of Crux reported this on August 24, 2019:
This comes to mind in light of a recent controversy surrounding Venezuelan Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the “substitute,” or number three official, in the Vatican’s Secretariat of State. He was appointed to that role by Pope Francis last year, and it’s a key one – the substitute, who’s responsible for the Vatican’s daily workflow, is the only person, including the Cardinal Secretary of State, who can simply walk in on the pope unannounced.
When Peña Parra was appointed a year ago, the Italian newsmagazine L’Espresso published a letter suggesting negative reports about him as a seminarian in Venezuela, but they mostly concerned his sexual orientation and didn’t clearly suggest abuse.
Yet in early July, Italian Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the former papal ambassador in the U.S. who accused Francis of covering up charges against ex-cardinal and ex-priest Theodore McCarrick – today, by the way, marks the one-year anniversary of that bombshell – gave yet another clandestine interview in which he alleged there’s a “terrifying” dossier in the Vatican, containing reports that Peña Parra sexually abused two minor seminarians in Venezuela and that he was also involved in two suspicious deaths.
Pope Francis Speaks on Phone at End of General Audience
According to people present in the hall, the Pope spoke on the phone for around two minutes, then gestured to the crowd that he would return soon and left the room.
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis made an unknown phone call at the end of his weekly general audience on Wednesday.
A livestream video of the Aug. 11 audience in the Vatican’s Pope Paul VI Hall showed the pope giving his apostolic blessing, then being approached by one of his assistants. The two could be seen speaking together for a moment before Pope Francis was handed a cellphone which he put to his ear.
According to people present in the hall, the Pope spoke on the phone for around two minutes, then gestured to the crowd that he would return soon and left the room. He came back shortly afterward to greet the people gathered to see him.
No other information is currently known about the mysterious phone call.
The moment took place at the end of Pope Francis’ Wednesday general audience, after the Our Father was prayed in Latin.
The papal audiences were paused during July for a summer break, but have resumed this month.
3 comments:
Nothing but plain rude.
Manners maketh man
Hey! When George Soros calls, you do NOT put him on hold!
2 large pizzas, one with sausage, the other with sausage, mushroom and anchovies maybe??
Post a Comment