Cardinal: “People are always careful to speak well of the past, but they do not have the courage to say that we need to change course”

 

The Cardinals Settle Scores with Pope Francis

Few cardinals attend the Novendiali, the cycle of Eucharists for the soul of Pope Francis, writes SilereNonPossum.com (30 April).

On 30 April, about ninety cardinals were present, less than half of the 180 who had registered in the morning to take part in the General Congregations in the Synod Hall.

Some cardinals did not hide their concern. SilereNonPossum.it quotes one of them:

"There are those cardinals who give interviews and talk about a short conclave, a long conclave... In reality, we are not sure of anything, because when the doors close, the time for pretense will be over".

And: "People are always careful to speak well of the past, but they do not have the courage to say that we need to change course, that we need to return to respect for people, for the law, for the rules. We need to start appointing people we trust, without fueling the climate of mistrust that has led us to this impasse".

Asked what has changed since the election of Francis, the cardinal replies:

"Nothing positive has changed; we are in a worse situation. Twelve years of constant invectives about clericalism, corruption, the latest car model, that the Church stinks, trials, gossip, faggotry...."

"If in 2013 people had the impression that the Curia had internal factions and problems that didn't work and even gave rise to scandals, today this idea has intensified. Francis has not wiped out corruption, he has simply replaced people, but now there are people who are more corrupt than before".

And: "What has changed is that they are not hated by the press, so they manage to keep many things from coming out, but these things are there, and some cases have emerged and are emerging in all their tragedy, even now with the issue of corruption in the Vatican Gendarmerie and in the Office of the Promoter. How many times have we said that something must be done about these situations?

The new Pope will have to ignore media pressure, the cardinal continued: "The press will act in the petty way that is now well known and will begin to attack whenever the new Pope deviates from the decisions of Francis."

But this is "a choice of survival", the cardinal explains: "If we want to survive and continue the Church of Christ, we must act without conditioning. Otherwise it will be difficult to see a bright future".