"The Plot Against the Pope"

Bishops' Synod

"Who Framed Roger Rabbit?", borrowing from  a cartoon from the late '80s  Lorenzo Bertocchi points out that behind the scenes, significant activities are underway to break the resistance against the "new Mercy" and exercise pressure on those  that stand in its  way. Just yesterday  the Vatican expert Manfred Ferrari reported on the Vatican Mysteries - The Lost Book .

 Bertocchi is also about the same book. The story began in the summer of 2014. Shortly before the Synod of Bishops on the family, the first part was published the anthology "Remain in the truth of Christ." The driving force behind it was the American Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke. The book gathered together essays by five cardinals, and four other articles by renowned theologians. These are the Cardinals Walter Brandmüller, Carlo Caffarra Velasio De Paolis, Gerhard Müller and Burke himself. The book was published simultaneously in several languages, the German version is by publisher Echt. 

The Book of Five Cardinals

All authors are defending Catholic marriage  and family teaching at the highest level against the thesis that the Cardinal Walter Kasper at the Consistory in February 2014 put forward that "remarried" divorcees can, under certain conditions, have authorization granted to receive the sacraments. The Augustinian Father Robert Dodaro OSA, editor of the anthology, explained it in a nutshell: "The 'merciful' solution Cardinal Kasper represents was not unknown in the early church, but no recognized churchman or theologian  defended them. On the contrary, when it is mentioned then, it is to condemn it, because it is contrary to Scripture."   The  admission to the Eucharist for "the remarried" divorced is therefore impossible, unless the couple would exercise abstinence. This could summarize the main thesis of the book in its Italian edition issued from the publisher Cantagalli.

The book immediately aroused strong opposition, the representatives of the Kasper thesis knew but now that the "new Mercy" at the Synod of Bishops could not expect an unimpeded march. Thesis and antithesis are part of the discourse and are nothing out of the ordinary. But recently the head of the progressivist school of Bologna, Alberto Melloni  fired an arrow in the newspaper Corriere Fiorentino. He did it in the middle of a book review to a very different book released by  Cantagalli.

Melloni's arrow: "Conspiracy against the Pope"

Melloni's arrow says that the publishing house has lent themselves as a base of operations for the opposition of the cardinals.  The left historian: "The publishing house had  with the backing of Cardinal Müller, Prefect of the Congregation of Doctrine and the Faith, in good or bad faith God only knows (...) to foment a plot against the Pope and against the Synod, a few hours before it started, in order not to  discuss the things that Francis  wanted to discuss."

In short: According to Melloni, Cardinal Tagle's former boss,  with whom he participated in the School of Bologna, had accused  five cardinals under conspiring under the leadership of the Prefect, Cardinal Müller,  to "plot" against the Pope and to use the publishing house  as a base of operations. Strong stuff, considering that the book was published at the same time not only in Italy but in five languages ​​and five publishers. Strong stuff even if you know the expiry of the Synod of Bishops, where the Cardinals had openly defended their position and if someone else was playing with marked cards. As a "revelation" of sinister plans, Melloni's arrow is not good, that must also have been clear. What is it about then?

Cardinal Kasper: "Nothing was done by me"

The book, which was a commercial success, provided a significant contribution to the Synod debate. This is exactly what had been repeatedly claimed by Pope Francis. But Cardinal Kasper responded irritably. He felt personally attacked. In interviews he said he was "surprised" by the book with which an "unprecedented situation" had been created. In short, what the five cardinals had dared, was outrageous. In addition, the German cardinal hastened to emphasize, that everything had been arranged with the Pope.

However, this was truly a revelation. Until then, it was officially known, Pope Francis wanted an honest discussion, but not express itself in fact. It could be argued, we do not know what position the Pope took regarding the Kasper thesis. Now, however, says Kasper seven months after the Cardinal Consistory, that everything was discussed with Francis and the Pope had "agreed to everything. They [the five cardinals] knew that I have not done these things of my own accord. I have arranged it with the Pope. I have spoken to him twice. He was satisfied."

Attentive observers could not escape the fact that Pope Francis sought by a whole series of gestures and words, a striking proximity to Kasper and his thesis.  Kasper's revelation provided the confirmation.

Cardinal De Paolis, "I will have the freedom to say what I think"

That was more interesting than the five Cardinals with their essays in no way criticizing the Pope, but at a high level put forward their arguments for the defense of the marriage sacrament. Cardinal De Paolis clarified it in an interview with the daily newspaper La Repubblica : "Not a major operation.  We wanted to make our contribution to the discussion, as we have had our say."   He also adds that there is no question of it being "unprecedented," because the positions had been repeatedly made ​​previously in other settings and  published on another occasion.

Melloni's arrow is reminiscent of the method, where  Soviet bloc dissidents were accused of  "anti-Soviet agitation". "I want to have the freedom to say what I think without becoming  accused as a conspirator" replied Cardinal De Velasio in his interview. In fact, this does not seem to be obvious to some.

Also, the publisher Cantagalli must have the right to be able to do its job without receiving cryptic messages from Melloni. So it is absurd to talk of conspiracy, so it is also true that there have been significant attempts to exert pressure on the publisher not to publish the book. The honest dialogue on the topic: "Speak with boldness" (Pope Francis). Melloni's arrow confirmed five months later that there are important people, according to whom this book ought not have appeared. "You understand Roger Rabbit?" Asks Lorenzo Bertocchi. "Bold" dialog? Of course, but please do so unanimously.

Text: NBQ / Giuseppe Nardi
image: NBQ

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

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