Rome, Italy, Aug 31, 2018 / 10:50 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In comments on the testimony of a former nuncio to the United States alleging sex abuse cover-up by the pope and several other bishops, the Vatican Secretary of State expressed hope that truth and justice would prevail, but said the situation was not concerning to him.
“It is not possible to express anything but pain in the face of these things, great pain,” said Cardinal Pietro Parolin. “I hope that we will all work in the search for truth and justice, they shall be our points of reference and nothing else. Certainly, the situation is not at all worrying.”
Speaking to Vatican Insider Aug. 30, Parolin said he has been with Pope Francis before and after his trip to Ireland, and he “seems serene.”
“The Pope is a great grace, even in the face of these things that obviously create so much bitter disappointment as well as much restlessness,” Parolin said, in response to a question about Francis’ state following a letter by Archbishop Carlo Viganò which calls for the pope’s resignation.
“He has the ability to keep a very serene approach,” said the secretary of state.
On the second day of Francis’ trip to Ireland, Viganò published an 11-page letter calling for the resignation of Pope Francis and some cardinals and bishops based on the allegation they covered-up the sexual misconduct of Archbishop Theodore McCarrick.
In the testimony, Viganò, 77, who served as apostolic nuncio in Washington D.C. from 2011 to 2016, wrote that Benedict XVI had “imposed on Cardinal McCarrick sanctions similar to those now imposed on him by Pope Francis” and that Viganò personally told Pope Francis about those sanctions in 2013.
Viganò claimed that this was ignored by Francis, who pulled McCarrick back into public ministry and allowed him to become a “kingmaker for appointments in the Curia and the United States.”
Asked if the text of the former apostolic nuncio is just or if it is wrong, Parolin said: “It is better not to go into detail about these things. I repeat that which the pope said: Read it and make your own judgement. The text speaks for itself.”
If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!
Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.
If Cardinal Parolin wished to clear the matter he could release the alleged Nunciature documents cited by Archbishop Viganò, or declare they don’t exist. If the latter were his response and they do exist then Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI or his secretary are morally bound to confirm Viganò’s allegation. Although some with credentials argue it’s now up to the press to resolve the matter that is more than remote. The argument is made that if he were sanctioned Cardinal McCarrick was nonetheless free wheeling around DC during the time of his alleged sanction by Benedict, which does not preclude disobedience. Neither does Cardinal Wuerl’s accommodation of McCarrick at the seminary then ‘evicting’ him to a parish support the claim that McCarrick was not under punitive sanction. There is also the argument that Viganò greeted Cardinal McCarrick and spoke well of him at a public function during the alleged sanction by Benedict. But then when Viganò initially made the allegations he stated he could no longer act in good conscience without revealing the Pontiff’s lifting of McCarrick’s sanction and elevating him. The man was a Vatican diplomat and was indeed part of the system. Further there are too many creditable witnesses to events and to Viganò’s character for Parolin to dismiss the matter. Neither is the Church overly concerned about the Pontiff’s “serenity” but demands and has the right to know the truth.
Parolin on the Pope: “He has the ability to keep a very serene approach’
This has got to be one of the biggest lies ever. So laugh out loud ridiculous when you come to think of Ed Pentin’s report where in one incident the Pope got so screaming mad he collapsed from anger that they thought he had died. Serene indeed
At peace while Rome burns?
1) you’d think the INVESTIGATORS who wrote the 300 page document might have kept a copy. Archbishop Vigano should inquire of each of them directly. 2) Parolin is right…the Pope is unassailable…all this is like a swarm of gnats, or a scratch on a battleship…HOWEVER, if testimonial evidence can be provided that shows Cardinal Bergoglio was INVALIDLY ELECTED by the 2013 conclave…as I strongly suspect is the case…then a Synod of Bishops can depose him.