Pope Francis shook up the scandal-plagued Vatican bank on Wednesday, removing four of five cardinals from an oversight body in a break with the clerical financial establishment he inherited from his predecessor. …
The four cardinals were removed just 11 months into their five-year terms as commissioners, which began under former Pope Benedict, who resigned last February. …
Cardinal Domenico Calcagno, head of another Vatican financial department that Italian magistrates suspect of financial irregularities and which the Vatican has asked an outside firm to audit, was also removed.
The article makes several other statements. Given the history of insufficient oversight, and probable illegal undertakings, at the Vatican Bank, this should not be surprising news. But, the Roman Catholic Church has had a history of stonewalling and refusing to face up to issues that involve malfeasance, embezzlement, etc. And, they are not the only Christian group that has had that problem. Both “other” Christian groups and non-Christian groups love to look for any misdeed in any Christian groups not their own. This is in order to “prove” that the particular group under their gaze is not a truly Christian group and their doctrine is not truly Christian doctrine.
The general reaction to this outside attack is to circle the wagons. This is not surprising for two reasons. On the one hand, the often exaggerated claims of the attacking groups would make anyone rush to defend their people against the utterly false extreme to which the accusations are taken. On the other hand, it is true that people are supposed to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. All too often, “popular opinion” seems to require that someone is judged before the judgment. This is wrong. And, yet, it often seems that the judgment happens before the “trial” and then that if the trial goes the “wrong” way that the same people accuse the people involved in the process of somehow being corrupt. The saying that where there is smoke there is fire has been twisted today to mean that if there is an accusation, it must be true. This has led to the numerous overturned guilty verdicts that ought to make this country change their mind about our justice system.
The problem is that circling the wagons can close your mind to the possibility that your group has done something wrong. Pope Francis has shown that he is not in that group. He has taken steps that appear to show that he is investigating charges and is taking the steps necessary to solve them. Needless to say, I am gobsmacked. I am all too used to the circle-the-wagons reaction. It is incredibly refreshing to see this attitude in a Pope. I am looking forward to seeing what Pope Francis will do in the future.
Leave a Reply