"We Need a Pope Who Doesn't Wink at the Great Powers and Global Lobbies"

(Rome) The well-known psychiatrist and criminologist Alessandro Meluzzi is a television star in Italy. The most important criminal cases end up on his table or are analyzed by him in the media. On the occasion of the 100th birthday of John Paul II, he criticized the incumbent head of the Church.

The 100th birthday of John Paul II (1920–2005), who was head of the Catholic Church from 1978–2005 and was canonized in 2014, was the occasion for an interview that Bruno Volpe (La Fede Quotidiana) conducted with Meluzzi.Meluzzi who is seen by some as a “colorful bird,” but his thinking always impresses with clarity. The former Freemason, who belonged to the Grand Orient of Italy, converted to Christ and also studies theology. He was ordained a deacon for the Melkite Greek Catholic Church united with Rome. Today he is the Archbishop of the Autocephalous Italian Orthodox Church, which is not recognized by the canonical Orthodox Churches.

Question: What was your impression of John Paul II. If you had to briefly outline him as a specialist ...

Prof. Meluzzi: Well, above all, he was a clear head, a real shepherd and a saint of life and in life.

Question: What impressed you the most?

Prof. Meluzzi: His courage, his hope, his momentum. A pope who also looked like a real man in his physical appearance: male and combative. In every moment of his pontificate, even in old age, frail and sick, he had a strong charisma.

Question: Let's try to explain your idea of courage.

Prof. Meluzzi: Precisely because of his physical appearance, he was more like a prophet of ancient Israel, but at the same time a priest and king.

Question: Every historical epoch has its Pope: What role would you think John Paul II would play in a time as confused as ours and would it be useful?

Prof. Meluzzi: Certainly every historical moment, every epoch has its pope, but I have no doubt that we need a pope like John Paul II today instead of that one who winks at the great powers and global lobbies. Together with Trump and Putin, John Paul II would be one of the three leading figures worldwide.

Question: What is the situation of the Catholic Church, which moment is it experiencing?

Prof. Meluzzi: A bad moment. There is a lack of heads with a clear mind like John Paul II and Joseph Ratzinger. We are experiencing a Catholic Church that has turned its back on its people and especially God and rejects the meaning of the holy and transcendent.

Question: You are a recognized doctor and renowned psychiatrist: is there a risk of panic among the population because of Covid-19?

Prof. Meluzzi: Not so much, but definitely a risk of depression. I wonder: what is the point of the face masks? They are completely useless and harmful. Depression also weakens the immune system.

Question: Many are outraged because some right-wing parties took to the streets on June 2 to protest government measures. [1]

Prof. Meluzzi: Are you surprised? This is the usual double standard by which the political left measures: All are equal, but they are always the same as the others.

Question: The face masks are useless. General Pappalardo, the leader of the Orange West, says the same thing, thus causing outrage. [2]

Prof. Meluzzi: He says nothing fundamentally wrong: listening without arrogance and reservations is imperative and not, as some journalists do, who first provoke and then wonder that they don't want to be seen at events.

Introduction / translation / footnotes: Giuseppe Nardi
Picture: La Fede Quotidiana

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

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On June 2, "Republic Day", a state holiday in Italy, the former Interior Minister Matteo Salvini of the Lega had called for a rally in Rome. The other right parties, Fratelli d'Italia and Forza Italiana, had to follow suit. Despite the corona security measures of the left-wing government and despite the recommendations of the party leaders of the other co-organizing parties, there were so many participants that the rally was carried out at home on social media, so that the media did not mention the number of participants.

[2] Gilet Arancioni ( Orange Vests ) are a newly founded Italian citizens' movement based on the French Gilets jaunes (Yellow Vests ). Their undisputed leader is the former Carabinieri General Antonio Pappalardo. Pappalardo sat 1992–1994 for the small Italian Social Democratic Party (PSDI) in the Italian Parliament. The qualified lawyer still describes himself as a social democrat. Pappalardo was briefly State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance 26 years ago during the government of Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, who later became president. The goals of the movement are still unclear and are directed primarily against the state corona measures and call for help for the people affected by the measures.

AMDG