Go here to read the story. I have always been suspicious of governments due, in part, to the proclivity of Caesar to engage in underhanded behavior. When a pope is also a secular ruler, as is the case with the Vatican State, that suspicion does not go away. As usual with the Vatican, money is at the heart of the current controversy over the trial of Cardinal Becciu. The sad and sorry truth is that the money given by the Faithful is often misused or simply stolen at the Vatican, and the trial of Cardinal Becciu was only the tip of a very dirty ice berg. The spirit of Judas, who pilfered from the common purse of the Apostles, is alive and well among his many devotees at the Vatican. A pope who would actually engage in real reforms when it comes to money would be a true hero, but almost always all we get are dog and pony shows like this badly flawed trial.
Pope as Caesar
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
Greed – these clerics would do almost anything for money.
Lust – these clerics are frequently embroiled in sex scandals.
Gluttony – these clerics often have overextended bellies which come from overeating.
In addition to what LQC says below, there used to be (and may still be in some places) a shocking disregard for fiscal responsibility and financial accountability. I’d chalk this up to a culture of trust to some degree that allows bad actors to get away with stealing from the Church where their crimes go undetected for years/decades. I personally know of 2 instances where the thefts were rumoured to be in excess of a million dollars. Example 1: audits of parish finances only when the pastor changes (typically close to 10 years or even longer). Thanksfully, annual audits now. Example 2: Parish finance committees that have no authority because they are only advisory. When the committee recommendation was “Let’s not do this” is met with a response of “I’m the pastor and we are going to do it.” Thankfully now no longer the pastor and LQC analysis applicable to the cleric involved.
And they wonder why we no longer pay, pray and obey.
There is a lack of accountability in too many cases for thefts that would land anyone else in prison. You do see the odd priest going to jail for such thievery, but almost never a higher up cleric. I suspect that people would be shocked at how many such thefts are papered over to avoid “scandal”.
“When religion becomes the government, belief stops being personal.”
“When you tie religion to the government, when the government is corrupt, you see that as a product of the religion because they’re tied together.”
“As one Iranian woman said during the 2022 protest, they ruined our religion by trying to force it on us.”
https://youtu.be/yquX5225J9o?si=MuZiV3KYLP7PXBOe
(right around 25 min mark but whole vid is good)
Didn’t he have Judas as his patron? There were signs…
That labyrinthine article on a labyrinthine process that might in some way be necessary.
However, all courts have limited time and resources. I strongly suspect there is other wrongdoing that will not see its day in court while this matter is finely and laboriously sifted.
It may be intentional. It may just be superfluous. It will certainly occupy time that might have been used elsewhere and I am therefore not very enthusiastic about it.
I tell you TBO, every article I read about Vatican financial scandals are so convoluted I can’t hardly ever follow them. I guess that’s what you get when you mix money-laundering shell games with lavender political drama.
CAG-
I don’t pretend to know where the tangled skein leads, but I know that God does.
That knowledge gives me comfort.
I pray it makes those to whom the skein leads uncomfortable – uncomfortable enough to repent and run to a temporal prison to escape an eternal one.
My experience in the world, however, teaches me that this is a better prayer than prediction.
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