I assume that the Pope is sympathetic to almost all that the German schismatics are doing, however, he probably views all this as a threat to his power. I guess it comes down to which way the Lavender Mafia tells him to jump.
The Vatican Will Be Getting Right On That
- 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.
The genie is out of the bottle and there is no chance it’s going back in under Francis. IMHO, there is no chance Francis will allow a trial. It would be too big of a repudiation of everything he holds dear. I think the German bishops know that and it gave them confidence to do exactly what they did. This whole ordeal is on Francis.
I can think of only one instance when Francis removed a bishop from his office, that being the case of Bishop Daniel Fernandez Torres of Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
The Archbishop of San Juan stated “insubordination to the Pope” was the reason for Bishop Torres’ removal, but the Vatican itself hasn’t explained why the Bishop was dismissed. He hasn’t been accused of a crime, let alone charged. Nor has he publicly denied Church doctrine as the German Bishops have.
So we know that there’s someplace where Francis draws the line on what a Bishop can and cannot do. But in all likelihood, these German Bishops’ insubordination isn’t the ‘wrong’ kind. I suspect that Francis is infuriated by those who oppose him personally, but doesn’t much care if bishops oppose Church doctrine so long as it doesn’t make him look too bad.
Francis abhors heterodox bishops the way Obama abhorred Democrats agitating for same-sex marriage.
Clinton: He removed the Bishop of Memphis for vague reasons.
PF is likely to get rid if German Cardinal Gerhard Mueller!