The embattled Pope Francis

When Pope Francis became Pope in 2013 he was hailed as the reformer who would infuse a new spirit in the Catholic Church. His encyclicals on climate change, immigration and the evils of capitalism and materialism have given him a reputation of a maverick pope – a pope relevant to modern times. He also exerted a lot of effort to bring back into the Church those Catholics who have fallen away because they are divorced and remarried, or are gay or lesbian  or are secular non believers.

The conservative factions in the Church hierarchy have been opposing all these changes . Now they have found a vehicle for expressing their dissent. The battle lines are presently being drawn among the American Catholic leaders. But this could easily escalate into a Church wide conflict between the conservatives and the progressives. 

A former Vatican ambassador to the United States – Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano – wrote an 11-page letter alleging that Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis had been aware of sexual misconduct allegations against former D.C. Archbishop Cardinal Theodore McCarrick; but, the two popes allegedly continued to allow the Cardinal to continue his functions.

These were very damaging accusations especially now when Catholic bishops and priests are being accused of sexual  abuse and cover-ups in Australia, Chile, Pennsylvania and Ireland. Archbishop Vigano and some of his followers are now asking Pope Francis to resign. It seems that the conservatives within the Church are using this issue to force Pope Francis to abandon his progressive views.

Father James Martin, editor at large of America Magazine was quoted by several newspapers as saying: “ Unfortunately some  Catholics are using the suffering of children to advance some of their own ecclesiastical agendas, such as attacking Francis....They are rightly angry at sexual abuse.  But all Catholics are angry at sexual abuse. Cardinal McCarrick was active under John Paul II and Benedict. Their ire is only on Francis.”

In the United States, Archbishop Vigano’s letter has become an ideological battleground. Many conservatives are publicly defending Vigano while progressives are rallying around Pope Francis. The Catholic Church is now confronted with one of the most serious scandals in its history. The Church must address the sexual abuse and cover-ups by its priests and bishops. Even in traditional Catholic countries like Ireland, the Church is facing a crisis. A generation ago, 80 percent of Irish Catholics went to Mass every Sunday. Now that figure has gone down to 40 percent. 

At the same time, Pope Francis must address the emerging power struggle between the conservatives and the progressives. It is said that this struggle is actively going on inside the Vatican. 

Pope Francis is facing the greatest test to his papacy. Recently, Pope Francis wrote a letter to the “People of God.” Here are excerpts from that letter.

Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis to the People of God

“If one member suffers all suffer together with it. These words of Saint Paul forcefully echo in my heart as I acknowledge once more the suffering endured by many minors due to  sexual abuse, the abuse of power and the abuse of conscience perpetrated by a significant number of clerics and consecrated persons. Crimes that inflict deep wounds of pain and powerlessness, primarily among the victims, but also in their family members and in the larger community of believers and nonbelievers alike. Looking back to the past, no effort to  beg  pardon  and to seek to repair the harm done will ever be sufficient. Looking ahead to the future no effort must be spared  to create a culture able to prevent such situations from happening, but also to prevent the possibility of their being covered up and perpetuated. The pain of the victims and their families is also our pain, and so it is urgent that we once more reaffirm our commitment to ensure the protection of minors and of vulnerable adults.

In recent days a report was made public which detailed the experiences of at least a thousand survivors, victims of sexual abuse, the abuse of power and of conscience in the hands of priests over a period  of approximately seventy years. Even though it can be said that most of these cases belong to the past, nonetheless as time goes on we have come to know the pain of many of the victims. We have realized that these wounds never disappear and that they require us forcefully to condemn these atrocities and join forces in uprooting this culture of death; these wounds never go away. The heart-wrenching pain of these victims, which cries out to heaven was long ignored, kept quiet or silenced. But their outcry was more powerful than all the measures meant to silence it. Or sought even to resolve it by decisions  that increased its gravity by falling into complicity.

With shame and repentance, we acknowledge as an ecclesiastical community that we were not where we should have been, that we did not act in a timely manner, realizing the magnitude and the gravity of the damage done to so many lives. We showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them. 

It is essential that we, as a Church, be able to acknowledge and condemn with sorrow and shame, the atrocities perpetrated by consecrated persons, clerics and all those entrusted with the mission of watching and caring for those most vulnerable.”

Creative writing classes for kids and teens

Young Writers’ Hangout on September 1 & 15 (1:30 pm-3 pm; stand-alone sessions) fiction writing with Sarge Lacuesta on September 22 (1:30-4:30 pm) at Fully Booked BGC.  For details and registration,  email [email protected].

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