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There is another, more sinister explanation, which grows more plausible with each successive scandal. Maybe so many Vatican officials have been morally compromised, over so many years, that no one is prepared to attack the problem; everyone feels vulnerable, and thus determined to keep the lid on. Maybe sexual misconduct is so widespread that—despite their public protestations—Vatican officials still take it lightly.
What is abundantly clear—and not just in cases of clerical abuse—is that the Secretariat of State writes its own rules. No one who followed the “trial of the century” carefully could possibly believe that the prosecutors exposed all of the financial chicanery that cost the Holy See millions of dollars. No Catholic donor can be comfortable with the fact that Cardinal Becciu, the central figure convicted in that trial, successfully scuttled a plan by the late Cardinal Pell for an independent audit of Vatican offices, nor that the same Cardinal Becciu forced the resignation of the Vatican’s own auditor general, who had reported flagrant evidence of waste and fraud.
Every year, especially around the time of the Peter’s Pence collection, Vatican officials assure us that now—this time—they are really determined to eradicate the corruption. Trust us, they complacently admonish the faithful. At this point, why should we?
The answer to whether the Vatican has learned anything about the punishment of predator priests and clerics is almost certainly no. Pope Leo needs to change this or he will become complicit in it. Business as usual in this area, empty promises and winking at abominable behavior, will further destroy the already frayed credibility of the Vatican.
Currently Pope Leo XIV does or says something traditionalist to keep the traditionalists mollified, but has done nothing substantive (so far) to eradicate the corruption, and to rebuke and refute the various liberal heresies (e.g., environmentalism) infecting and infesting the Church. I continue to hope and yes, he’s better than Pope Francis, but that’s a very low bar indeed.
Pope Leo can’t possibly be so ignorant of the situation, but he doesn’t seem to be moving very quickly to solve anything.
I believe there is some kind of Mutually Assured Destruction dynamic at work within the (whitewashed) halls of the Vatican. The problem is there has to be more than *one* person who is willing to step forward and expose it all.
One person can be “put away” (see Cardinal Pell), but 3 or more working together to blow this open can get something done.
So far, I am overwhelmed by all the moral courage we are seeing coming from the Vatican these days…
The Holy See can make adjustments to Canon Law, but the task of clearing out the identifiable sexual deviants from Church institutions belongs to the bishops. The Holy See lacks the manpower to do this. Leo should be laser-focused on screening episcopal appointments. Which means he needs to stop offering to mediate international conflicts in which the Holy See has no leverage. And stop traveling. And speak sparingly.
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Cleaning up the financial corruption in the Holy See is something he can accomplish and he can look to the corporate world for models on how to reduce fraud and embezzlement. Commercial enterprises manage to produce a general ledger, statement of income, balance sheet, and inventories. Aside from its treasures (located in the Vatican and a few other spots in the Province of Rome) and some utility buildings and their located in the Province of Rome, the Holy See can do without physical assets. The papal nuncios can rent digs for offices and residences. It can also avoid taking stakes in privately held businesses. Invest in stocks, bonds, commercial paper, and precious metals and distribute them in accounts in a number of hard currency countries. You can get lay boards to supervise the accounts. Except for those whose functions require they be ordained, requires they be under vows, or requires training in philosophy, theology, canon law, or Church history, you might just clear the clerics out of the Vatican. There might be some with site-specific skills deployed to the Library, the Archives, or restoration work, but that’s it.
The article lost me when it implied that Pius V would have had people executed for an offense that technologically couldn’t have existed at the time. I don’t even know if the US courts would have given Capella a longer sentence, or if it’s wrong for him to have his current assignment.
“The article lost me when it implied that Pius V would have had people executed for an offense that technologically couldn’t have existed at the time.”
But that’s not what the article said. It said that Pius V would likely have handed him over to the state for punishment which could probably have resulted in execution. And yes, child abuse existed at the time and was rightly punished with greater severity than a couple years in a Vatican prison cell and a cushy job waiting for you on the outside.
I watched Pope Leo XIV say Mass at the Cathedral Albino. After Mass the clergy clapped for the Pope. Pope Leo was embarrassed and visibly mortified. He would have run to escape but he stayed the course.
The spirit of Vatican II took over and the congregation began talking like the marketplace or is it a cattle yard?
After receiving the Sacred Species from the Pope…?