** FATHER FRANK’S RANTS Rant Number 783 29 August 18 POPE FRANCIS’ DOWNFALL

A FORMER PAPAL AMBASSADOR'S EXPLOSIVE REVELATIONS SPELL OUT DOOM FOR POPE FRANCIS.
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The Holy Father of Rome, Pope Francis, the Head of the Catholic Church, is finished. He is toast. Kaput. He must do the decent thing and resign his office. Before the Archbishop Carlo Vigano’s explosive revelations it was still possible to doubt. Now controversy is ended. Francis’ shameful collusions with the voracious serial abuser of young seminarians ex-Cardinal McCarrick totally disqualify him as Pontiff. He must go.

Archbishop Vigano’ was appointed Vatican’s Ambassador, or Nuncio, to the United States by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011. Trained for years in the prestigious Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome (I was once invited to dine there by a friend now Nuncio), he belongs to the highest Vatican elite. A Papal Ambassador plays a key role in the appointment of a nation’s bishops and is privy to many secrets. In a letter made public on August 22 Vigano’ reveals how Francis covered up the ‘horrendous crimes’ of ex-Cardinal McCarrick, kept him close to himself and favoured him even after he knew of McCarrick’s vile actions. He tells an incredible tale of unholy buggery. The Cardinal took seminarians to bed with him, mocked a student who had refused that ‘honour’ and sacrilegiously celebrated Mass with some of the culprits.

Appalling, yes, but not new. In Canto XV of the Inferno, reserved for gays, the poet Dante speaks of that crowd as ‘priests and men of letters’. One a Bishop of Florence, removed to another See for its unnatural practices. So, nothing new under the sun. Dramatically, Vigano’ invokes the name of St Peter Damian, a medieval Italian hermit and later Cardinal, author of the apocalyptic ‘Gomorrah Book’. A ferocious onslaught on the sexual perversions of the clergy, especially homosexuality. Peter Damian urged the most severe church sanctions against gay priests, railed against the bishops who permitted men with such tendencies to be ordained and branded leniency on those sins as ‘false mercy’. Clearly, the Saint was denouncing a widespread state of affairs back then. If you remember that he penned his attacks on priestly same-sex misdeeds a thousand years ago, you really must sigh ‘plus ca change plus c’est la meme chose’!

Archbishop Vigano’ is hardly less violent in his language than St Peter Damian. The Church has become a ‘fetid swamp’, protected by a shocking ‘conspiracy of silence’. If you are familiar with the Italian language you will know that translates a term infamously popular as a Mafia code of conduct, ‘omerta’. Indeed, Vigano’ explicitly name the Mafia. A crime takes place in full daylight, in a public square, with hundreds of people about but when the police inquire nobody has seen anything. That is the ugly meaning of ‘omerta’. And Vigano’ says that the church authorities, including Pope Francis, are guilty of the same shocking attitude concerning Cardinal McCarrick’s gravely immoral behaviour. (It seems that McCarrick was a prime mover in Francis’ election to the papacy…) Despite being known and reported to the highest Vatican powers, McCarrick and his ilk got away with it. Pope Francis too knew about it. And nothing was done!

Note that it is not abuse of children or minors that is at issue. The victims of Cardinal McCarrick were not under age. Hence the matter cannot be equated with child abuse. It is mainstream homosexuality which is in the dock. Does it explain why the Irish media have kept mum about Vigano’s bombshell during Francis’ visit to the formerly staunch Catholic country? Give that the Irish PM is gay and married to a man…you get my drift.

Rome is not alone in sinning, to be fair. Peter Ball, former Anglican bishop of Gloucester, went to prison for similar offences. He postured as Abbot of a monastic community, in order to satisfy his proclivities on young fellows. I recall as an Ordinand at Theological College in the ‘80s hearing rumours about Ball. Another bishop, John Satterthwate, was referred to in levity as ‘the bishop of Sodom’ – although I would guess he stayed a celibate, out of necessity, perhaps. The Reverend Tony Higton, a feisty Evangelical Vicar, caused a stir in 1987 at the General Synod of the C of E when he spoke out against homosexuality in the Church. Today the conservative Gafcon movement, a worldwide Anglican network, continues to oppose gay marriage and clergy. The internecine battle continues within the Body of Christ on earth.

Still, is there too much emphasis on gays? After all, most sexual sin is heterosexual. Many straight men covet, pursue and seduce young women, should the focus not be on them too? There is something in that. (Dante placed some gays in Purgatory, implying that they too, if repentant, may reach Heaven.) But, like it or not, clergy have long being perceived as role models. And the traditional teaching of the Catholic Church has forever considered homosexual activity as intrinsically sinful, contram naturam. (Protestants rely on the Bible, St Paul’s particularly, for their condemnations.) Vigano’ accuses LGBT clerical supporters of seeking to change the Church’s stance. Pope Francis’ notorious and absurd line, ‘Who am I to judge?’ – was it part of that? Besides, morals and spirituality apart, there is a financial factor behind all this. Many victims of ‘abuse’, real or presumed, can sue and get monetary compensation. Some RC dioceses in the US have been bankrupted by legal suits. Money
talks…

When Jesus Christ walked among men he assured St Peter, Prince of the Apostles, that ‘the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church’ (St Matthew 16:18). That is my firm, rock-like belief. Pope Francis may be the darling of liberals of all over the world but he is, above all, St Peter’s successor. He will know in his heart of heart that his position is untenable. He has to go. For his Church’s sake, he must.

Revd Frank Julian Gelli

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