THOUGHTS OF SHAKESPEARE AS I READ VATICAN NEWS REPORTS TODAY

As I read the headlines and stories this morning about the meeting between Pope Francis and representatives of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (Cardinal DiNardo, its President and Archbishop Gomez, its Vice-president along with others), for some reason Shakespeare comes to mind!

So, Pope Francis immediately precedes the meeting with the US delegation by accepting the resignation of Bishop Michael Bransfield of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia and appoints Baltimore Archbishop William Lori to investigate allegations that Bishop Bransfield sexually harrassed adults.

This might be considered significant until you remember that Bishop Bransfield had been implicated in 2012 in an infamous Philadelphia Priest sex abuse case.  The Bishop denied that he ever abusing anyone. He continued with his ministry until he offered to retire, as required, when he turned 75 just last week!

So, six years pass by since the allegations were made, Bishop Bransfield is allowed to continue his ministry until the acceptance of his resignation because he celebrated his 75th birthday...and this is seen as somehow a significant indication that the Holy See is taking the abuse scandal seriously?

Seriously?

And yesterday, as Cardinal DiNardo comes to Rome to request a Papal audience for the purpose of asking that outsiders play a role in Church investigations into the abuse scandal and the role Bishops played in it, the Pope announces a meeting with the Presidents of Bishops’ Conferences around the world to discuss the matter six months from now?

The Pope and the Holy See have yet to respond to allegations by a former Ambassador to the
United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, that Pope Francis effectively rehabilitated McCarrick from sanctions imposed by Pope Benedict XVI over allegations the disgraced former Cardinal  would routinely invite seminarians to his beach house and into his bed.

So, let’s see if I got this right.

The Pope meets with the US delegation which wishes something immediately be done to address the crisis.  But, the day before, the Pope says he wants to meet with all the Bishops’ Conference heads six month from now to discuss the sexual abuse crisis with the very Bishops who are very much to blame for the crisis in the first place.

And this is supposed to be significant?

And, of course, the question still repeats itself:  “Where are the laity and others who might provide both new and uncomplicit voices and insights into the process?" 

But, there’s just one more interesting twist to this latest act in the Vatican kabuki play.

Cardinal DiNardo’s own record protecting children has now come into question. 

Yesterday, The Associated Press reported that two victims in Houston had accused His Eminence of not doing enough to stop a Priest who was arrested this week on sexual abuse charges.

Little wonder, Shakespeare comes to mind.

What was MacBeth’s famous lament about the folly of life?

“It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing”!