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French PopeAfter the “isolation” imposed by the pandemic, he seems to intend to raise the bar on the central themes of his pastoral work. Jorge Mario Bergoglio is about to sign the third appendix to his pontificate: “All brothers.” This is the title chosen for a work that, therefore, will speak of brotherhood between men. The signing ceremony will take place in Assisi on October 3. The Pope, therefore, continues in his work, but in the Vatican there are at least four files that the pontiff and the higher hierarchies are called upon to face.
These are all thorny issues, which can modify the judgment of the parties in the field on the work of the Holy Father after these first seven years on the throne of Peter. Where by “parties” we must refer to the so-called “Vatican alignments”, but also to the “partisans” outside the Leonine walls, who still exist and have a voice. Even the Curia, in fact, could react positively or not to the changes made by the Bishop of Rome and the C9, especially on the reform of the apostolic constitution, which has been announced for some time but has not yet been made official.
There are many open questions, but I dossier that “hot” are above four. In relation to the ecclesiastical world, Germany’s forward flight is the hottest front. The Teutonic episcopate has organized a two-year “Synod” through which the German bishops want to approve reforms that could conflict with the leadership of the universal Church and, therefore, with that of Bergoglio. The geopolitical plan of the future can only be affected by the renewal or, in any case, by the discussion about the “interim agreement” with the People’s Republic of China. In November, then, we voted in the United States, and that change never has the same meaning as the others. And again the ancestral cultural game that revolves around the “post-Covid world” that Francesco would like to design and support. Finally, in fact, it is necessary to approve the long-awaited reform of the Apostolic Constitution, which will modify the relations of force present in the Roman Curia, with the announced reduction of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and more.
The scandals that Bergoglio’s “prosecutors” are considering
To act in the background, but not too much, then, we think that the scandals that have affected the Holy See During the last months. The dossier on the case of Theodore McCarrick, the cardinal whom Bergoglio “unhinged” after a series of scandals related to allegations of abuses by former consecrated men against seminarians, has not yet been published. The Vatican promised that the truth would emerge, along the line on “zero tolerance” promoted first by Joseph Ratzinger and then by the reigning Pope. But that document is not there for now. The case of “Uncle Ted”, as he was called in the United States, has somehow been reopened, with new accusations about an alleged “system” that McCarrick would have put in place, inviting young people to his maritime home, however with intentions of a sexual nature. At least this is the reconstruction that, in July this summer, even recorded the existence of a “predatory scheme” of the former cardinal. For the past year, then, the Vatican courts, the “Pope’s prosecutors” and other relevant authorities have had to deal with what has been called the “London Palace scandal.” The court case may have only just begun. The “palace” is only one of the elements of an investigation that could imply, in a more general way, a certain way of managing the Vatican funds, and more specifically the “offering of Saint Peter”, which the faithful intended Roman Pontiff, so that the money is used for charitable purposes. During the investigation, the Torzi corridor was also arrested. The history of the “Palace of London” is very complex. There was even talk of an alleged extortion attempt against the Argentine, but then the news stopped leaking. The Pope, who is waging an internal battle for transparency, seeks to get the truth out on both issues, while the traditionalists, especially in McCarrick’s case, press for the publication of the promised dossier.
The “revolution” of the Teutonic episcopate
The first problem to be managed in the organizational-doctrinal sphere comes from Germany. The German bishops believe that a general change is necessary. A reform capable of modifying part of the doctrine and the rules of organization of the parishes. Almost as if in Germany they felt the need for a “new Luther” or, in any case, for a “Protestantization”. The “Internal Synod” is the instrument that the German episcopate has identified to achieve certain objectives: a new relationship between Christian-Catholic doctrine and homosexuality; the expansion of the possibility reserved for women to occupy positions of high responsibility within ecclesiastical realities; at least the beginning of an opening discussion on the relevance of priestly celibacy; the granting of new responsibilities to the laity in matters of ecclesial management. These are the four moles. What is the problem? The fact is that, in some matters of a universal nature, the only deputy who intervenes, therefore to change the approach or introduce substantial innovations in Christian-Catholic doctrine, is the Pope of the Catholic Church. The Germans, theoretically, could not opt for the abolition of priestly celibacy in an autocephalous manner, nor could they individually decide to rewrite the Catechism in the passage on homosexuality. But the intentions of the German episcopate appear to be exactly as announced. The first year of the “Synod” is the current one. At the end of the two-year period, with good chances, we will see a confrontation between the Holy See and the will of the Germans. The risk that has long been feared is that of a “schism”. From Rome came some racy or worried comments. The Germans, who are mostly progressiveThey could relinquish their control or keep pushing, perhaps to influence the future movements of the Vatican leaders. In recent weeks, a certain cultural impulse in favor of the so-called “gender doctrine” has even appeared in parts of the Teutonic episcopate.
Between the United States and China: The Vatican’s Geopolitical Perspectives
The two-year agreement signed by the Holy See and Beijing has never been published, but remains in force. The parties had given each other two years to verify the goodness of the results obtained, but the dissemination of Sars-Cov2 prevented the verification. Here then, the most likely hypothesis, for the moment, is that of an agreed renewal, which could also be tacit. The Vatican, despite criticism that traditionalists have leveled at Bergoglio, the secretary of state Pietro Parolin and the multilateral diplomacy that drives this pontifical administration, seems to have the will to continue. And China also doesn’t seem to have anything against the continuation of the pact. We will see. The travel blockade imposed on Bergoglio does not allow the Holy Father to attempt the apostolic visit to China. It would be a historic event, but 2021 should not be the right year for a pope’s first visit to Chinese territory. Maybe in two years. In November, however, it will be time for the US presidential elections. As we have had the opportunity to say, the American Church is divided, even in this circumstance, between progressives and conservatives. The feeling is that in the United States it is happening in a big way, which in other places – including Europe – declines in a small way, with a pronounced polarization between the ecclesiastical left, which is all in favor of the Democratic candidate Joe Biden, and the ecclesiastical right , who obviously seems to have high hopes for the re-election of Donald Trump. Trump, in these four years, has acted as a counterpoint to Jorge Mario Bergoglio and vice versa. If Biden wins, Pope Francis could find a new ally to promote his worldview.
Migrants, universal income and ecology: the triptych is still valid
The background on the content is scarce, but it is probable that in “All Brothers”, the new apostolic letter of the first South American bishop of Rome in history, the Pope intended to attack the current methods of income distribution. The Pope’s 2020 should have focused on welcoming migrants, protecting the environment and the socio-economic discussion, with the proposal already aired in a way of universal profitability. These were the predictions. But then the pandemic upset everyone’s plans, including those of the former archbishop of Buenos Aires. But “All Brothers” could restore the priorities that the Bishop of Rome had identified during a very special year that has not ended. he 2020 it was a year of transition. A suspended year, in which the reformist march of the Jesuits had to be interrupted. Meanwhile, insiders are also discussing the real ability of the “Bergoglio effect” to continue to affect: the “black swan” of the pandemic is effectively preventing the pontiff from visiting the “economic-existential peripheries.” “and in other areas of the world.
