Under the guise of analysing the current situation in the Vatican, from his privileged perch in The Times of Malta, Martin Scicluna takes the opportunity to denigrate Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and portray the history of the papacy as one of incessant infighting, corruption and intrigue.
We do not need to be reminded that the Church has had a turbulent history. That is the legacy of sin that has scarred humanity and will dog humanity till the end of time.
However, the least one expects from a contributor to the press is to be honest about the facts. Scicluna’s portrayal of Benedict XVI is inaccurate, unfair and downright offensive. His comments reveal that he has not bothered to read the writings of this brilliant intellectual.
The Catholic Church has been blessed with outstanding popes, especially in the last century that has been scarred by two devastating world wars and the ruthless, atheistic regimes of Nazism and Communism which murdered and killed millions of people on an unprecedented scale.
Despite their different backgrounds, time and time again, these popes rose to the occasion to grapple with the evils that predominated during their papacy.
Reducing the forthcoming Synod to a fight between reformers and conservatives is a shoddy way to comment on such complex matters
Repeatedly, rebellious and lapsed Catholics have done their level best to besmirch their reputation. The vilification of Pope Benedict XVI is a case in point.
When still a cardinal, he was labelled ‘God’s Rottweiler’ for carrying out his difficult duties as head of doctrinal congregation charged with upholding orthodoxy.
The calibre of the man is revealed in his own words. When interviewed 19 years ago by Peter Seewald on August 15, 1996 he said: “The words of the Bible and of the Church Fathers rang in my ears, those sharp condemnations of shepherds who are like mute dogs; in order to avoid conflicts, they let the poison spread.
“Peace is not the first civic duty, and a bishop whose only concern is not to have problems and to gloss over as many conflicts as possible, is an image I find repulsive. I didn’t dodge conflicts because letting things drift is ... the worst kind of administration I can imagine.”
It is therefore not surprising that he earned the scorn of the virulent anti-Catholic secular media. Despite his gentle and humble demeanour, he did not hesitate to take difficult and unpopular decisions.
His papacy was anything but lacklustre. His encyclicals exposed the shallowness of his critics. His great determination to address the sex abuse scandals that have plagued the Church in recent years was remarkable. Investigations that had been stalled by incompetent or corrupt prelates in the Vatican were pursued with vigour and effectiveness. Our present Archbishop Charles Scicluna played a prominent role in these investigations.
As pope, Benedict XVI even started aggressive reforms on the manner in which the Vatican handled its finances. Sadly, he was betrayed by his own personal assistant, probably thanks to the vested interests that bedevil any large organisation.
Realising that he did not have the physical stamina to carry out his responsibilities, he took the honourable and unexpected decision to resign. The prospective Synod on the family is bound to elicit universal media interest and people like Martin Scicluna will do their utmost to portray the so-called reformers in the best possible light.
Meanwhile, although the Catholic Church in Germany is very rich financially, it is otherwise losing adherents and is corrupted by an ultra-liberal agenda that it wants to impose on the Church.
Pope Francis will have the grave responsibility of addressing various difficult issues that have only been aggravated by a so-called public consultation betraying crass ignorance and superficiality among many of the faithful. Reducing the forthcoming Synod to a fight between reformers and conservatives is a shoddy way to comment on such complex matters.
Besides, I am sure that Pope Francis will not allow his decisions to be influenced by his popularity ratings.