The Pope's Latest Speech To the Cardinals Has a Backstory. That Was Supposed To Stay Secret
This is from Sandro Magister of Italy:
No Vatican news organization has so far mentioned this meeting. And yet it happened. It took place in the Vatican chapel of Santa Marta on the morning of Friday December 13, the fiftieth anniversary of the first Mass of Jorge Mario Bergoglio.
The one who had suggested to Pope Francis that he celebrate this occasion with a Mass together with the cardinals residing in Rome had been, a few weeks earlier, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, in his capacity as dean of the college of cardinals.
Francis had replied no. But Sodano had not given up, and thanks to a second effort by college sub-dean Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, he was finally able to overcome his resistance.
In sending to the cardinals the letter of invitation for the gathering, Sodano made mention of Francis’s initial resistance.
Who, however, only slightly attenuated his impulse of distaste. On December 13 the Mass took place, but in the most absolute silence on both sides. The pope did not deliver the homily and did not say a single word either before or after the ceremony. And even Sodano was unable to read the address of good wishes he had prepared, in the name not only of those present but of the entire college of cardinals. After the Mass Francis quickly greeted the cardinals one by one and left.
In the afternoon, both “L’Osservatore Romano” and “Vatican News” published the message of good wishes from Cardinal Sodano. But without covering the news or providing a single image of the Mass celebrated with the pope.
This, in fact, was the strict order of the pontiff: no news and no photos.
Needless to say, the cardinals who had come to Santa Marta were very much struck by the pope's coldness towards them. A coldness of which they did not understand the reason.
And this brings us to the pre-Christmas address to the curia on December 21. With the backstory just given.
Here is a link to the full text of the speech, which was followed on the same day by a papal “motu proprio” that gave news of Sodano's resignation from the position of dean of the college of cardinals.
> "Dear brothers and sisters..."
And these are some of its passages.
READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE:
3 comments:
I do not know the Pope, but he seems to be deeply troubled and afraid. Taking the linked article at face value I sense a man who distrusts himself as much as he distrusts others. My theory is that he was elected Pope because a significant number believed he could be controlled if not actually manipulated. His actions indicate that he is now aware of that weakness in himself and cannot trust himself to firmly and compassionately discipline others.
I allow myself to be labeled a Traditionalist in this instance because I also believe what he identifies as rigidity is the resistance within the progressive interpretation of Vatican II to evaluation and corrections. The comfort found in old ways is not merely in their familiarity but in their successes.
I just don’t know. This pope has been his worst own enemy and has polarized and anger those who would have been the most supportive if he wasn’t so damn 1970’s liberal.
Pope Francis is not “so damn 1970’s liberal” - that’s just a totally ridiculous assertion, as well as being meaningless!
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