What happened?
Pope Francis has ordered a “thorough study” of Vatican files relating to Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, the Holy See said on Saturday. It comes more than a month after Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò alleged Pope Francis had ignored sanctions imposed by Benedict XVI against McCarrick. The next day a letter was released from Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, attacking Viganò, saying Viganò’s charges “cannot come from the Spirit of God”.
What commentators are saying
John Allen, writing at Crux, said the Vatican had released “exactly the response that many critics have been clamouring for”. He also noted that the statement “seemed to prepare the ground for revelations that might be unsettling”. The Vatican statement said a review of the files might uncover “choices … that would not be consonant with a contemporary approach to such issues”. “Translated into plain English,” Allen said, “[this] means that somebody on our end may have dropped the ball.”
Christopher Altieri, writing at Catholic World Report, argued that the Vatican’s promise of a “thorough study” was “not worth much”, as it was not clear whether the results of such a study would be fully disclosed. “The Holy See is implicated in this devilish business,” he wrote. “Whatever they release will be about as credible as the Nixon administration’s redacted transcripts of the Oval Office conversations about the Watergate cover-up.” Altieri concluded: “Make no mistake: they’re trolling us now.”
Rocco Palmo, at his blog Whispers in the Loggia, focused on Cardinal Ouellet’s letter, describing it as “spectacular and blistering”. He noting that Oullet implied a “demonic motive to the diplomat’s assault on Francis”. But he said that Ouellet confirmed, “albeit to a degree, a central claim of Viganò’s first j’accuse, writing that, in years past, McCarrick ‘had been strongly advised not to travel and not to appear in public, so as not to provoke additional rumours in his regard’ ”. The Wall Street Journal agreed, announcing in its headline: “Vatican denounces accusation against Pope but confirms key point.”
✣Cardinal to Francis: seek peace with ex-nuncio
What happened?
Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the Vatican’s former head of doctrine, told EWTN’s The World Over programme that Pope Francis should “speak with” Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò and “look for reconciliation” with him. He said the Pope was the “symbol of the unity of the Church” and must help it in overcoming its divisions.
Why was it under-reported
The interview was broadcast on the first day of the youth synod, when several interventions by bishops made headlines. Cardinal Müller is retired, has no formal role in the Church, and is generally seen as a critic of Pope Francis. So his comments, if they weren’t so remarkable, might easily be ignored. But he did not just call for the Pope to respond to Viganò, as several American bishops have done; he also said that, as Holy Father, Francis needed to work to preserve the unity of the Church – and that, he said, means starting a dialogue with your most explosive critic.
What will happen next?
Archbishop vigano has urged Francis to resign over the McCarrick case, while the Pope has implicitly compared Viganò to Satan in his morning homilies. A meeting seems unlikely. In his letter on Sunday, Cardinal Ouellet also called for reconciliation, but entirely blamed Viganò, urging him to recant. “You cannot end your priestly life in this way, in an open and scandalous rebellion,” he wrote. At the time of going to press, Viganò had not responded. But he is likely to give some public riposte.
✣The week ahead
Pope Francis will canonise Blessed Oscar Romero and Blessed Pope Paul VI on Sunday. The Salvadoran archbishop was shot dead while celebrating Mass in 1980; Paul VI reigned as pope from 1963 to 1978. Among the other new saints are Blessed Nunzio Sulprizio, who became renowned for serenity in suffering before he died from bone cancer aged 19.
A 58-year-old Venezuelan is taking up his position as third-ranking official in the Vatican Secretariat of State on Monday. Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra is substitute secretary for general affairs – equivalent to chief of staff for the secretariat.
Baroness Nuala O’Loan will give the Catholic Union’s Craigmyle Lecture at the University of Notre Dame in London next Thursday. A former law lecturer, Lady O’Loan lost her unborn baby in an IRA blast in 1977. She later became Northern Ireland’s first police ombudsman. Last year she proposed a bill expanding the right of conscientious objection for healthcare workers.
Areas of Catholic Herald business are still recovering post-pandemic.
However, we are reaching out to the Catholic community and readership, that has been so loyal to the Catholic Herald. Please join us on our 135 year mission by supporting us.
We are raising £250,000 to safeguard the Herald as a world-leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching.
We have been a bold and influential voice in the church since 1888, standing up for traditional Catholic culture and values. Please consider donating.