Jonathan Newton-Pool/Getty Images by Diane Montagna https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/f...knew-of-mccarricks-misdeeds-repealed-sanction Pope Francis covered up McCarrick abuse, former US nuncio testifies (OFFICIAL TEXT) carlo vigano, catholic, pope francis, sex abuse crisis, theodore mccarrick, us bishops ROME, August 25, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) — What you are about to read is the explosive testimony of the former apostolic nuncio to the United States, implicating Pope Francis and several senior prelates in covering up Archbishop Theodore McCarrick’s alleged sexual abuse of seminarians and priests. In an extraordinary 11-page written statement (see official English text below), Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, 77, claims that Pope Francis knew about strict canonical sanctions imposed on McCarrick by Pope Benedict XVI but chose to repeal them. Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò at the Rome Life Forum on May 18, 2018. Steve Jalsevac / LifeSiteNews In his testimony, dated August 22, Archbishop Viganò, who served as apostolic nuncio in Washington D.C. from 2011-2016, states that in the late 2000s, Benedict had “imposed on Cardinal McCarrick sanctions similar to those now imposed on him by Pope Francis,” and that Viganò personally spoke with Francis about the gravity of McCarrick’s abuse soon after his election in 2013. But he says that Francis “continued to cover him” and not only did he “not take into account the sanctions that Pope Benedict had imposed on him” but also made McCarrick “his trusted counselor” who helped him to appoint a number of bishops in the United States, including Cardinals Blase Cupich of Chicago and Joseph Tobin of Newark. Archbishop Viganò also implicates Cardinals Sodano, Bertone and Parolin in the cover-up and insists various other cardinals and bishops were well aware, including Cardinal Donald Wuerl, McCarrick’s successor as Archbishop of Washington D.C. “I myself brought up the subject with Cardinal Wuerl on several occasions, and I certainly didn’t need to go into detail because it was immediately clear to me that he was fully aware of it,” he writes. Cardinal Wuerl’s “recent statements that he knew nothing about it … are absolutely laughable. He lies shamelessly.” “Cardinal Wuerl, well aware of the continuous abuses committed by Cardinal McCarrick and the sanctions imposed on him by Pope Benedict, transgressing the Pope’s order, also allowed him to reside at a seminary in Washington D.C. In doing so, he put other seminarians at risk,” he attests. A widely respected figure, Archbishop Vigano says his “conscience dictates” that the truth be known as “the corruption has reached the very top of the Church’s hierarchy.” He ends his testimony by calling on Pope Francis and all of those implicated in the cover up of McCarrick’s abuse to resign. [emphasis added] In comments to LifeSiteNews on August 25, Archbishop Viganò said: “The main reason why I am revealing this news now is because of the tragic situation of the Church, which can be repaired only by the full truth, just as she has been gravely injured by the abuses and the coverups. I do this to stop the suffering of the victims and to prevent new victims and protect the Church: only the truth can make her free.” Viganò said the second reason he chose to write his testimony is “to discharge my conscience before God of my responsibilities as bishop of the universal Church. I am an old man and I want to present myself to God with clean conscience.” “The secrets in the Church, also the pontifical ones,” he said, “are not taboos. They are instruments for protecting her and her children from her enemies. The secrets are not to be used for conspiracies.” “The people of God have the right to know the full truth, also regarding their shepherds. They have the right to be guided by good shepherds. In order to be able to trust them and love them, they have to know them openly in transparency and truth as they really are. A priest should be a light on a candlestick always and everywhere and for all.” This is a breaking story. Follow LifeSite for further updates. Here below is the official English text of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò’s Testimony. (You can also download the PDF here.) **** Edited to add: Ex-Nuncio Accuses Pope Francis of Failing to Act on McCarrick’s Abuse In an extraordinary 11-page written testament, a former apostolic nuncio to the United States has accused several senior prelates of complicity in covering up Archbishop Theodore McCarrick’s allegations of sexual abuse, and has claimed that Pope Francis knew about sanctions imposed on then-Cardinal McCarrick by Pope Benedict XVI but chose to repeal them... The former U.S. nuncio wrote that Pope Francis “is abdicating the mandate which Christ gave to Peter to confirm the brethren,” and urged him to “acknowledge his mistakes” and, to “set a good example to cardinals and bishops who covered up McCarrick’s abuses and resign along with all of them.” [emphasis added] ... National Catholic Register · by Edward Pentin · August 25, 2018
Great article, Carol I have seen this photo before It’s truly ugly And yes, let’s pray for Vigano I am still praying that the truth will come out and people will be helped
Nice! (lots of pics) 'Those who abuse children are s***': Penitent Pope compares paedophile priest cover-up to 'human excrement' while meeting with Irish victims before telling 82,000 fans at Croke Park stadium that 'to hate is human, to forgive is divine' http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...s-steps-plane-Dublin-papal-visit-Ireland.html
It is worth taking the time to read the full letter. It is included at the end of the article on LIfesitenews.
The full letter is a must read. He strips the mask away from all these dissemblers. It goes right to the top.
Carol, thank you for posting this article and letter from Archbishop Viganò It is the truth about what happened in the past and what is happening now, from the Papacy on down. Viganò mentions St Peter Damian I am glad to see that The Pope at the time of St Peter Damian was willing to fight the sodomites in the Church
There is a whole thread started by Frodo on this explosive disclosure by the former US nuncio. Do take your discussions there.
Below, only some of the latest, yet to be translated correctly, Luz de Maria message of yesterday, Aug. 25th. This is a pretty bad google translation but you can get the idea! My Faithful People will emerge with strength after having been burned the tares, will arise because they can not be deceived or overshadowed by the tares, they will no longer be confused with the tares or with the lukewarm ones. By strengthening yourself from My Word, from My Body and My Blood, from the Love of My Mother and His Word, My People will not be overthrown with the fall of others of My children who follow men. Your faith will remain in Me. A People that does not pray is a People subject to the attack of the devil at all times, without giving a truce. My People warning, part of the institution of My Church has fallen into serious errors in the absence of a serious, firm and due instruction in the houses of formation and in the absence of the truth of some who do not have the ardent desire to serve me in spirit and truth IT IS NECESSARY THAT THE FILTER OF FAITHFULNESS BE SUPPORTED IN THE HOUSES OF FORMATION FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO BECOME PART OF MY PRIESTS, OF MY RELIGIOUS AND RELIGIOUS. MY HEART SUFFERS BEFORE SO MANY FAULTS MADE BY SOME OF MY PRIEST SONS AGAINST THE INNOCENTS OF MY PEOPLE. The measures towards My holy place have to be scrutinized so that the clarity emerges quickly, Poor the man who is the cause of the sin! It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than to make one of these little ones fall into sin "(Lk 17: 1-2). I do not accept the deceptions or the shamelessness with which the devil's trickery is used on My innocents. I need the Truth established rigorously in the Institute of My Church so that My Priests may be faithful to Me, firm in the faith, dedicated to their ministry and in holiness. MY PEOPLE ARE INDICATED BY LOVING ME, BUT SOME OF MY REPRESENTATIVES ARE MY GREAT PAIN, MY SHAME BEFORE HUMANITY THAT DESPISES ME AND WAIVES ME. THEY ARE THE INSTANTS IN WHICH MY PEOPLE MUST REMAIN FEEDING OF THE FAITH, AND SHOULD KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS LIVE AND ATTEND THEMSELVES. ........ MY TRUE CHILDREN ARE THOSE WHO GIVE THEMSELVES FOR ME, THOSE WHO KNOW ME, THOSE WHO DO NOT REPEAT MY WORD, BUT THOSE WHO MAKE IT LIFE AND IN ABUNDANCE, THOSE WHO ARE DISCOVERING THE "HIDDEN TREASURE", THOSE WHO DO NOT AFFORT LAND, THOSE WHO THANK CONTINUOUSLY AND ADORE OUR TRINITY, THOSE WHO LOVE MY MOTHER AS I LOVE HER .......... Do not turn away from Me, continue to be My children. Be compliant with the Will of My Father and do not accept modernisms. ..My Church is being shaken and it will be more because it is the reason for news because of the money god. Beloved My People, the Earth emanates the restlessness of the soul of man, Nature continues to meet him, the climatic variants are unexplainable, impact man, climates are new.
Okay, I know I may be chastised for this, but the bombshell testimony by the former US nuncio, Archbishop Vigano has gotten me wondering about Pope Benedict's resignation and PF's election. I know from conversations here and elsewhere that Maria Divine Mercy predicted the resignation of Pope Benedict and said that the pope after him would be a false pope/ the false prophet. Could someone save me the trouble of searching through old threads and tell me what caused her to be denounced as a false prophet?
The US bishops did not vote for Cardinal Tobin's participation in the Youth Synod but Pope Francis has overruled their votes and appointed him anyway. Given what we know about Cardinal Tobin, I don't believe that this was a good move on the pope's part. From Archbishop Vigano's recent letter, "Father James Martin, S.J., acclaimed by the people mentioned above, in particular Cupich, Tobin, Farrell and McElroy, appointed Consultor of the Secretariat for Communications, well-known activist who promotes the LGBT agenda, chosen to corrupt the young people who will soon gather in Dublin for the World Meeting of Families, is nothing but a sad recent example of that deviated wing of the Society of Jesus." The official English text of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò’s Testimony can be accessed here. Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark moderates a panel at the 2018 World Meeting of Families. (Daniel Ibanez / CNA) Vatican | Aug. 25, 2018 | http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/usccb-cardinal-tobin-appointed-to-youth-synod USCCB: Cardinal Tobin Appointed to Youth Synod The U.S. bishops’ conference has confirmed that Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, has been appointed by Pope Francis to participate. Catholic News Agency WASHINGTON — The U.S. bishops’ conference has confirmed that Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, has been appointed by Pope Francis to participate in October’s 25th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will meet to discuss young people, the faith and vocational discernment. Cardinal Tobin will join Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Archbishop José Gomez, Archbishop Charles Chaput, Bishop Frank Caggiano and Bishop Robert Barron, who, according to a July 23 USCCB press release, were elected by the U.S. bishops’ conference to attend the conference, after which their election was ratified by Pope Francis. After the USCCB posted that press release to its website, Cardinal Tobin’s name was added to it, a USCCB spokesperson confirmed. As of Aug. 25, the cardinal’s name is listed among those who were elected by the bishops’ conference. However, a USCCB spokesperson told CNA that Cardinal Tobin was, in fact, “named a delegate by Pope Francis after the Pope accepted the delegates elected by the USCCB.” [emphasis added] Cardinal Tobin is the chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. From 2010 to 2012, he was secretary of the Vatican’s Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. From 1997 to 2009, he was superior general of the Redemptorists, his religious congregation. The synod will take place Oct. 3-28. Edited to add: **** (Unsplash) Publisher's Note | Aug. 24, 2018 | http://www.ncregister.com/daily-new...he-church-needs-swift-action-and-purification A Scandal of Silence: The Church Needs Swift Action and Purification A NOTE FROM OUR PUBLISHER Michael Warsaw By now, you have seen accounts and excerpts from the Aug. 14 Pennsylvania grand jury report on the scourge of sexual abuse of minors that covers six dioceses over 70 years and reveals accusations of 300 priests having sexually abused 1,000 children. Like you, I am appalled, angry and saddened that clergy would violate their vocations and the innocence of so many young people. The report also contended that many of the bishops of those dioceses systematically covered up much of the abuse. Pope Francis, in his Aug. 20 “Letter to the People of God,” acknowledged Church leadership’s failure, stating 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.” Bishop Robert Morlino of Madison, Wisconsin, joined the Pope in his condemnation but focused on the homosexual subculture among the clergy: “There has been a great deal of effort to keep separate acts which fall under the category of now-culturally-acceptable acts of homosexuality from the publicly deplorable acts of pedophilia. That is to say, until recently the problems of the Church have been painted purely as problems of pedophilia — this despite clear evidence to the contrary.” Trust in Church leadership is flagging in many places in the world; in others, it is gone. While the Church needs an investigation into the failure of leaders and for them to be held accountable, we also need the remaining leaders to act swiftly, surely and decisively to restore order. In April 2002, four months after the sex-abuse scandal broke in Boston, Pope John Paul II called the U.S. bishops to the Vatican for a summit. The results were the Dallas Charter and greater accountability for priests and deacons. Many are calling for Francis to call a summit of his own, to remedy the deficiencies of the charter and demand greater accountability for bishops. This is far from over, but the answer begins as we kneel before God in prayer and fasting and then rise to action infused by his wisdom and grace. God will purify his Church — one way or another. The Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary was a day after the grand jury report was released. It served as a fitting reminder to turn to Our Lady at this difficult time. Let’s seek to be inspired by her fidelity, even in the face of such evil. God bless you! [emphasis added]
And that "scandal of silence" went into the pews as well when parishioners refused to believe victims/accusers, persecuting them. And same even within the victims' families who stood by the clerics and were ashamed of children who spoke against them. The Pope wishes to use that "clericalism" excuse very broadly which is only part of the problem since even when settling the cases in courts there was the reliance on the psychiatric community's final judgement of "cures" after therapy only to have offenses continue. And this is still being done by the PC legal system for just about every case, Church perps or from elsewhere. Watch the same groups persecuting the Church only, start screaming when seminaries begin serious screenings of gays, and all the other PC alphabet groups. From some of the things I heard from those who had some connection with personnel at the Vatican, Benedict realized he had lost control of things if you remember all the stories from the press there about being handed private notes et al from his office by various "butlers" or servants who were paid off or blackmailed to get such private writings out to the press and there was the beginning of stories linking Benedict's time as Bishop in Germany to cover ups of certain accusations of abuse there. It is alleged that he was told that they would go after him with that, attempting to bring him down (papacy) and since he did not wish to be a person around whom their goal could be achieved he thought it better for the Church's sake to allow another to begin anew. And since it would be more logical for him to retire to Germany to be near his dear brother, also a musician, he was threatened that if he stepped onto German soil they would arrest him and also include his brother about whom other stories of cover ups were just hitting the news......how they would keep an eye on him and his continuing influence....by having him at the Vatican. Of course you can make what you will out of such in-sights! NEWS Pope's butler charged with stealing private papers by Alessandro Speciale August 14, 2012 c. 2012 Religion News Service (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI's former butler was indicted Monday (Aug. 13) by a Vatican judge on charges of stealing the pontiff's private papers and leaking them to the press, a ruling that revealed for the first time that a second person was involved in a scandal that has been rocking the Vatican for months. The so-called Vatileaks affair led to the publication of confidential documents revealing allegations of corruption, power struggles and personal rivalries behind the Vatican's walls. Paolo Gabriele, Pope Benedict's personal assistant, was arrested by Vatican police on May 23 and will be tried for "aggravated theft," according to the 20-page indictment by Vatican judge Piero Antonio Bonnet. Gabriele, 45, was held in solitary confinement in a Vatican cell for almost two months before being granted house arrest. Claudio Sciarpelletti, a computer expert working at the Vatican Secretariat of State, also was indicted for aiding and abetting Gabriele, but according to the Vatican chief spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, he only played a minor role and will probably incur a light sentence should he be convicted. Gabriele, meanwhile, faces a six-year jail term, which could be lengthened to eight years should judges find one or more "aggravating factors." A raid at the butler's Vatican apartment revealed he had amassed a large amount of papal documents, including a check made out to Pope Benedict for 100,000 euros ($123,000). https://www.christiancentury.org/article/2012-08/popes-butler-charged-stealing-private-papers Pope Benedict’s Brother Says He Was Unaware of Abuse Jan. 10, 2016 REGENSBURG, Germany — The Rev. Georg Ratzinger, the elder brother of former Pope Benedict XVI, said in an interview published Sunday that he had no knowledge that young boys in an internationally known German church choir he directed for 30 years had suffered sexual abuse. “I did not hear anything at all about sexual abuse,” Father Ratzinger, 91, told a Bavarian regional newspaper, Passauer Neue Presse. “I was not aware that any sexual abuse was taking place at that time.” Reports of physical and sexual abuse in the choir, the Regensburger Domspatzen in Bavaria, first emerged in 2010 as part of a nationwide wave of revelations linking officials of the Roman Catholic Church in Germany to the mistreatment of children. But an internal report by the church identified only 72 cases of abuse in the Regensburg Diocese, most involving severe corporal punishment. Last week, Ulrich Weber, a lawyer commissioned by the choir to look into accusations of beatings, torture and sexual abuse, presented his initial findings, based on more than 140 interviews, roughly half of them with victims, and an examination of archives. Mr. Weber estimated that from 1953 to 1992, every third student at a school attached to the choir suffered some kind of physical abuse. He said the mistreatment at institutions linked to the Domspatzen included at least 40 cases of sexual violence. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/11/...cts-brother-says-he-was-unaware-of-abuse.html
As my father used to say “It’s all of a piece.” In other words all connected. Of course PF overruled the bishops on Bishop Tobin’s behalf. No surprise at all.
One thing that seems true is that those who profess Christ and who sexually abuse seem to think that their actions have no bearing on their relationship with God, or their destination after death. Among Protestants, one might expect to see this and for excuses to be given along those lines. For Catholics who sexually abuse, some kind of interior disbelief in the Church, her theology, and in the reality of sin and judgement must be at work. Which is deeply evil. Satan is the father of lies, so we can expect those influenced by Satan to lie their heads off.
Protestantism has done incredible damage. The assumption that what we do or fail to do does nothing to mess up our relationship with God, anger or grieve Him, or influence where we go when we die.... Happily, there are many Holy, temperate, just, virtuous, humble Protestants. Good! But the fruits of Protestant theology are horrible. They have Scripture, but why obey it if one's salvation isn't affected by it either way? If we ignore sin, or believe it means nothing, we have no reason to avoid it. It is sad. Many, many souls go to Hell. The thought that I could go to Hell, too, came to me tonight. That is a sobering, horrible thought. I should try to avoid Hell, by avoiding sin. I snapped at a coworker this afternoon, and made excuses, and shouldn't have. By every careless word... We should always fear Hell. Protestants often lack this fear, but for a Catholic to not fear Hell... implies a kind of disbelief in Truth.
This is an excellent post Gracia. St Alphonse Liguori talks about this at length in his Preparation for Death, which is an amazing, sobering book to contemplate.
