POPE FRANCIS' MISPLACED SENSE OF URGENCY

So here is what Pope Francis has had to say about global warming and the environment.

Challenging world oil executives to recognize the urgent environmental need to quickly transition from fossil fuel extraction and burning to clean energy production, the Pope called them to take to heart that "civilization requires energy, but energy must not destroy civilization."

And with urgent warning, Francis concluded: "There is no time to lose: We received the earth as a garden-home from the Creator; let us not pass it on to future generations as a wilderness."

Then, in the first address by the head of the Catholic Church to a joint meeting of Congress, Pope Francis called on lawmakers to address a long list of challenges ranging from climate change to Syrian migrant crisis and the decline of the American family.

"We must resolve now to live as nobly and as justly as possible, as we educate new generations not to turn their back on our "neighbors" and everything around us," he said.

And yet again, speaking on climate change, the Pope stated that action must be taken "without delay and as freely as possible from political and economic pressure, overcoming individual interest and conduct," Francis said in a message to Cop22 underway in Marrakech.

This is the "serious ethical and moral responsibility" implicit in the December 2015 Paris agreement on climate change, the Pope continued.

“No time to lose...we must resolve now....action must be taken without delay....” 

But now this from the Vatican Press Office:  “The Holy Father has announced that he will convene a meeting of the Presidents of Bishops’ Conferences around the world to discuss the current crisis of sexual abuse of minors besieging the Church.  

The meeting will take place from February 21 -24 next year!

So much for the Pope’s sense of urgency when it comes to addressing and redressing the wrongs inflicted upon victims, their families and the Catholic faithful.

It is indeed remarkable that the Pope’s sense of urgency about the environment is so much greater than his concern with the bleeding wound inflicted upon the Church by the horrific scandal of the homosexual abuse of minor males by Catholic Clergymen literally in every diocese around the world.

More remarkable still that the goal of the meeting is to “discuss” the scandals with Bishops, many of whom are the very people responsible for or complicit in the scandals themselves.

Stephen King himself couldn’t come up with such a bizarre, twisted and chaotic scenario if he tried.

Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would be the Church’s Advocate, confounding the minds and the mouths of those who sought to do harm to the Body of Christ.

I think we are seeing that promise fulfilled in our lifetime in the lame, pitiable and embarrassing responses of the official Church to a moment of crisis never before witnessed by the Christian faithful.

We can only continue to pray and hope that the Same Spirit will guide our Church through this difficult moment of purification and revival.