POPE FRANCIS: ACCUSED BISHOPS ARE LIKE SUFFERING CHRIST ON GOOD FRIDAY

Bishops who are accused should remain silent like Jesus on Good Friday when the crowds called out for his crucifixion, Pope Francis said Tuesday in his morning homily at the chapel of the Santa Marta residence.  

“Jesus remained silent because he had compassion for those people deceived by the powerful.  “He was silent. He prayed,” the Pontiff said.

“In the same way, the Pastor, in difficult times, in times when the devil is unleashed, where the Pastor is accused—accused by the Great Accuser through so many people, so many powerful ones—suffers, offers his life and prays,” the Pope said.

“Take up the Gospel and read, and see Jesus, and where his authority lies. And ask the grace that all Pastors may have this authority: an authority that is a grace of the Holy Spirit,” he said.

Tuesday’s homily marked the 4th occasion in two weeks the Pope has decried the action of those who accuse Bishops, comparing them to the devil, the “Great Accuser.”

In comparing all accusations against Bishops to the denunciations made against Christ, Pope Francis insinuates that all Bishops are innocent of the accusations being made against them and stand as victims rather than perpetrators or accomplices.

Those who bring to light the misdeeds of Bishops may be, as I have suggested, the instruments of the Holy Spirit who may be trying very forcefully to rid the Church of the moral filth that has permeated the Church at the highest levels of ecclesiastical authority.

Nowhere and in no way has the Pope suggested that victims and their advocates are providing a service to the Body of Christ in those cases where abuse or cover up have been established both in fact and, in some cases, as the result of legal process.

Bishops themselves have begun to support the many calls for transparency in bringing to light the long-hidden cases of victims who were sexually abused as youngsters by Catholic Clergymen as well as the actions of Bishops who protected the abusers by their silence and complicity.

It appears that the Pope’s reference to silence again on Tuesday may be self-serving as it reflects his decision to deny comment to those seeking to know whether allegations made against high ranking members of the Curia and Episcopate as well as himself are true.

When asked directly about the accusations just after their publication, Pope Francis did not answer questions from reporters, including when he had learned about McCarrick’s abuse, telling them to read the report and make their own assessment of its credibility.

Since that time, a number of Bishops themselves have criticized the Pope’s “no comment” media strategy, insisting the allegations are very serious and that Francis has the duty to clarify the facts to provide the “accountability” for which he himself has called.

Is the Pope suggesting that these Bishops are the minions of the “Great Accuser” as well?

The Pope’s silence is not a sign of unity with the Suffering Christ.  It is a sword that is cleaving the Church itself in two.

Pity that the Holy Father himself as well as those who offer him counsel do not comprehend this simple fact.

Then again, the Lord promised that the Holy Spirit would confound the minds and the mouths of the enemies of the Church, wherever they are to be found within the ranks of laity and the Ordained as well.