The Sweet Life of Cardinal Maradiaga’s Right Hand

Cardinal Maradiga with the now retired auxiliary bishop Pineda. In Honduras, the serious allegations have not been investigated and worked on. An online newspaper calls for a “thorough investigation.”

(Tegucigalpa) In late July, at about the same time as  Cardinal Theodore McCarrick had to renounce his cardinalatial dignity, a suffragan Bishop was also lost. The two cases have many parallels and also a similarity refarding how Rome deals with them. In both cases, the problem could not be eliminated, because the will for real purification seems to be lacking.

In the context of the McCarrick case, the dossier of former Apostolic Nuncio to the US, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, is putting pressure on Pope Francis. The head of the Church  is silent and hopes that things will soon be forgotten in this fast-moving time.

The second case, which concerns the Archdiocese of Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga in Honduras, continues to be a major problem. Like McCarrick, Cardinal Maradiaga is very close to the papal line. In July, Maradiaga's right-hand man, Auxiliary Bishop Juan Jose Pineda Fasquelle, was forced to resign because of sexual abuse and a double homosexual life. However, the matter was handled slightly differently from the McCarrick case. The New York Times even reported about  the now ex-cardinal from the US in the summer. The Pineda case medially could be kept on a smaller flame. Officially, he did not have to resign, but had "at his own request" asked for his resignation in order to turn to "new tasks.”. This was at least the version of the Holy See and the Archdiocese of Tegucigalpa. Instead of investigating Pineda and imposing canonical sanctions on him, the Vatican helped drop everything under the table.

The reason? Pineda is a protégé of Cardinal Maradiaga, who is in turn one of Pope Francis' closest confidants and advisers and, as coordinator, key figure in the C9 Cardinal's Council for Curia Reform and World Church Leadership. Maradiaga, according to Tosatti, has also played a role in important episcopal appointments since the election of Pope Francis, for example (with McCarrick) in the appointment of Blaise Cupich as Archbishop of Chicago and Peña Parra as the new substitute of the Vatican Secretariat of State.

"Big problems" not overcome

The Vatican's Marco Tosatti, about four months after Pineda's "voluntary" resignation, took a look at the situation in the Honduran Archdiocese. His conclusion: the "great problems" in the Diocese of Cardinal Maradiaga and in the whole Church of Honduras have not been overcome.

On the 8th and 16th of November, the "credible" Honduran online newspaper ConfidencialHN published the story of a "key witness" and new documents, Tosatti said.

"They not only confirm many of the allegations against the former, disgraced Auxiliary Bishop of Tegucigalpa, but also provide new details of the case."

Initial reports on Pineda were published outside Honduras by the Italian weekly magazine L'Espresso at the turn of the year 2017/2018 and were directly related to Cardinal Maradiaga. It has been revealed that the cardinal receives $600,000 in extra donations a year from the Catholic University of Honduras, of which he is the Grand Chancellor (see also The Dark Side of Cardinal Maradiaga and "Cardinal Maradiaga, the right hand of Pope Francis  cheated us ").

Pope Francis, however, immediately took his confidant under his protection and indicated that he wanted to cling to him. Since then, his "right hand" in the archdiocese of Tegucigalpa moved more into the glare of the headlights  What was revealed was astonishing.

Allegations against Auxiliary Bishop Pineda

Auxiliary Bishop Pineda was accused of having sexually corrupted and abused seminarians of the central seminary. Forty-eight of a total of 180 Honduran seminarians wrote a letter of protest last June to draw attention to the unsustainable conditions in the seminary. Already in 2016, the former Rector had revoked Pineda’s teaching authority and banned to his house. Cardinal Maradiaga, however, came to the aid of his auxiliary bishop, stopping the Rector and giving Pineda access to the seminary again in 2017.

Bishop Pineda "wasted money on lovers, cars, motorcycles and real estate"

Pineda was also accused of not only hunting for sex objects in the seminary, but also playing a number of homosexual games outside the seminary. With one of them, the Mexican Cravioto, he maintained a homosexual relationship for a long time in the archiepiscopal palace Villa Iris - next door to Cardinal Maradiaga. He does not want to hear any of this and continues to deny the gay double life of his Adlatus (see Maradiaga - the blind cardinal).

Pineda was also accused of loosely handling the archdiocese's finances in order to afford his sexual escapades. When the sex games with Cravioto in the archiepiscopal palace were already causing too much talk, Pineda apparently had rented or bought an apartment in the old town for him. A number of cash flows for the Archdiocese were allegedly poured into the auxiliary accounts of the auxiliary bishop, including government grants, like the National Catholic Register reported in March. Overall, Pineda is said to have appropriated $ 1.3 million of state subsidies granted for charitable purposes. The money was "completely gone" according to the new sources.

The visitation report and an idle pope

The now 57-year-old Pineda headed the Archdiocese during the absence of Cardinal Maradiaga, and he was often absent since becoming cardinal in 2001. In 2005 he was even singled out by certain media as Papabile.

The allegations of moral and financial nature against Pineda led to an apostolic visitation in the spring of 2017. Pope Francis sent a personal confidant, the Argentinean Msgr. Alcides Jorge Pedro Casaretto, emeritus bishop of San Isidro, to Tegucigalpa. He presented his report to the Pope in May 2017. Nevertheless, Cardinal Maradiaga managed to keep his protective hand over Pineda for more than another year. Pope Francis remained inactive. Finally, last July Pineda had to leave his post, but to this day he does not need to fear any legal consequences.

ConfidencialHN relies in its revelations on the statements of a key witness to the Vatican Casaretto investigation. The witness reports that Pineda visited a number of parishes to explain their projects and provide details in order to receive state subsidies. "Some priests obeyed, others did not" because they knew or suspected. The suffragan bishop applied for state subsidies, which were also granted, but did not pass on the money to the parishes.

Homosexual lovers and false priests

The author of ConfidencialHN, David Ellner Romero, also reports on the lover of Bishop Pineda, Erick Cravioto Fajardo, a Mexican layman, whom Pineda misrepresented as a priest, to receive a tax allowance for a car he bought him. It does not seem to have been the only case where Pineda falsely declared a gay lover a priest. Another lover was on Pineda's intervention, the ten-year chaplain of the Honduran police. Meanwhile, there are great doubts as to whether he has ever been ordained a priest.

Pope Francis with Cardinal Maradiaga

Cardinal Maradiaga signed all documents. Ellner Romero spares the cardinal and writes that the documents involving the "plunder of state funds" by Pineda were apparently faked  "so well" that the cardinal could not have seen through the "true intentions" of his auxiliary bishop. Others have considerable doubts about that.

According to ConfidencialHN, Pineda has used the money to "pay for, among other things, sexual favors, to entertain a network of lovers, buy various real estate, cars and motorcycles, and travel abroad with a paid lover." The allegations are listed in detail on the website, as well as the homosexual practices of the bishop.

The witness not only confirms Pineda's homosexual relationship with Cravioto, but also with others. Although everything was done "secretly,” but not so secret that it would have gone unnoticed.

Oscarito and the Valle de Angeles

When Pineda visited parishes, he often took with him a man named Oscarito, whom he introduced as his "assistant". Although three people had to be accommodated, including the driver, he always reserved only two rooms. Pineda slept with Oscarito in the same room.

Pineda, according to the witness, often brought ministrants to the Valle de Angeles, including seminarians who assisted him in the Mass. "In the house there was only one bedroom with a bed and a divan, and he [Pineda] stayed there with two children. The strange thing was: The next morning, when we had breakfast, the divan was unused. That is, he slept with them in bed,” says the testimony found in the Vatican investigation report.

When Pineda parted company with Cravioto, Auxiliary Bishop Oscarito became a lover, while Cravioto lived out homosexuality with a certain Denis who received a full scholarship from the Catholic University of Honduras.

Cravioto and Denis had then split so hard that Pineda had to intervene to prevent things becoming worse. Cravioto then took a certain Darwin as his beloved, who in turn received a full scholarship to the Catholic University.

Ellner estimates that the $ 1.3 million that disappeared meant that someone would not shut up anymore. When the first media reports appeared abroad, the seminarians dared to voice their protest.

Pineda, according to the witness, wrote the names of a dozen priests and lay people who had betrayed him in response to the large mirrors in the Villa Iris with a red pen. This behavior is considered by the witness as an expression of "his delusional state.”

"Thorough investigation" and the special summit in the Vatican

ConfidencialHN cites other serious cases and calls for "a thorough investigation" to "shed light on the crimes committed in the bosom of the Church of Honduras."

In February 2019, Pope Francis convened a special summit on sexual abuse by clerics. In doing so, measures are to be taken to combat the phenomenon. What these should consist of is not known for the time being. It is known that on November 12, Pope Francis prevented the US Bishops' Conference from taking concrete action. The point at issue is how to deal with bishops who are guilty.

The special summit in the Vatican would also have to deal with the Pineda case. At the moment it does not look like it.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi

Image: NBQ / ConfidencialHN / Vatican.va (Screenshots)

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

McCarrick’s Crimes Are “Private Matters” According to Pope’s Advisor

Cardinal Maradiaga, one of the closest pope's confidants, says after being heavily criticized after the revelations, he has received "death threats".

(Rome) As far as Pope's confidant Cardinal Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa and coordinator of the C9 Cardinal's Council is concerned, ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick's crimes committed under canon law are a "private matter" and an "administrative issue".

Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga is one of the busiest figures in the current pontificate, earning him the nickname "vice-pope". Indeed, the Primate of Honduras and former President of Caritas Internationalis is said to have ambitions after Francis’ succession.

Religion Digital, the main progressive news portal in the Spanish-speaking world, published an interview with the Cardinal, which sounded a bit different in tone than he has recently.

Aberro-lobby in the Vatican a media fantasy

In January 2016, in an interview with the daily newspaper El Heraldo de Honduras, he confirmed the existence of a "gay lobby in the Vatican" that puts "pressure" on Church leadership to make decisions in their favor. Among other things, Maradiaga said at the time:

El Heraldo: Was there an infiltration of the gay community into the Vatican or a similar attempt?

Cardinal Maradiaga: Not only that, the Holy Father himself has said that there is a "lobby" in that sense. The Holy Father is slowly trying to clean it up. These are things ... you understand and there are actions to serve them pastorally, but what is wrong can not be true.

Now he is saying:

"The gay lobby in the Vatican is something that exists more in the printing ink of the media than in reality."

Cardinal Maradiaga

Cardinal Maradiaga: Papal critics have "no faith"

The comment was based on the former apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, who in his famous dossier, published on the 26th of August, lists Cardinal Maradiaga as one of the ex-Cardinal McCarrick's patrons. The former Vatican top diplomat, sneered Maradiaga ironically, should know himself that the "gay lobby in the Vatican" is above all a media fantasy.

In general, the interview surprised by its non-answers, which in turn and in their way, nevertheless, also gave information.

The cardinal was specifically addressed on the Viganò dossier and the McCarrick case:

Religion Digital: The Viganò dossier accuses the Pope of covering up Cardinal McCarrick's homosexual relationships with seminarians and calls for his resignation. What do you think about this?

Cardinal Maradiaga: Making a private issue into a bomb that explodes in the world and whose splinters violate many people's beliefs does not seem right to me. I think that a management question should be spread on calmer and more objective criteria, and not with a load of bitter expressions. I think that Msgr. Viganò, whom I knew, is not the same person who writes and says these things.

Religon Digital: If it is true that Viganò informed the Pope, then why did not Francis act?

Cardinal Maradiaga: Actually, I do not know to what extent the Holy Father acted or not. This is an issue beyond my knowledge and competence. I believe that the Pope is a man of God who always acts with faith and wisdom.

Maradiaga's thesis: All is just a conspiracy against Francis

Already in the past, the Honduran cardinal had complained of a conspiracy against Pope Francis. It’s an allegation in which he repeatedly linked criticism against him with criticism of Francis, and was a victim of Franciscan critics who would attack him to actually hit Francis. Religion Digital has no problem picking up on this thesis and accentuating it.

Religion Digital: Is the Viganò dossier part of a conspiracy of the extreme right in the US that does not accept the Magisterium of Francis?

Cardinal Maradiaga: From the first moment one could perceive that there has been a reaction against Pope Francis, who wants to interfere with his teaching. Tensions are inevitable in the face of diversity, but to seek the truth and love the Church is a duty for all, especially when acting out of faith. Accepting or not accepting the person of the Pope does not come from the secular optics of sympathy and antipathy, but from that of the faith. When faith is lacking, the foundation is missing.

It is also not new that Cardinal Maradiaga, without responding directly to the criticism, denies that critics of the administration of Pope Francis have faith.

Homosexuality and priesthood

Religion Digital: Is there a gay lobby in the Vatican?

Cardinal Maradiaga: I have the impression that the idea of ​​a gay lobby in the Vatican is disproportionate. This is something that exists more in the printing ink of newspapers than in reality. It is obvious to me that the purpose of all these expressions, charged with poison and slander, is to strike the Holy Father. But if they have no faith, the actors of this media circus will not give up their lies.

Religion Digital then wanted to get from the pope's confidant an answer to a question that has become particularly explosive and topical in the context of recent scandals. However, the cardinal owes a clear answer to a clear question. Most readers of Religion Digital and probably most of the faithful can not do anything with his answer. The non-Catholics, certainly not.

Religion Digital: Can a homosexual who has achieved a clear psychological and sexual maturity become a priest?

Cardinal Maradiaga: All Bishops' Conferences in all countries of the world are aware of the absolute and apodictic principles of the Church, such as those set forth in Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis.

The progressive medium was satisfied with that. Inquiries were waived.

Religion Digital: Did Cardinal McCarrick support the election of Francis, and did the Pope feel indebted to the North American Cardinal?

Cardinal Maradiaga: First and foremost, one has to understand the ultimate significance of this assertion in the case of Msgr. Viganò. It seems to me baseless. He was not in the conclave. I honestly do not believe it.

But that's not all.

"Hitman” and "death threats"

Two days after Religion Digital, the Italian daily Il Giornale also published an article with a sensational headline citing a conversation with Cardinal Maradiaga:

"The war in the Church does not know a truce: 'Eminence, if you speak, we'll kill'”

The author is Fabio Marchese Ragona, a journalist who has maintained close contacts with the Cardinal for many years. The subject is alleged death threats against the Honduran Cardinal..

"After the allegations and attacks of the past months, also through the dossier of Msgr. Carlo Maria Viganò, which targets the Pope and other cardinals, one of Francis' closest associates received anonymous phone calls, in Spanish, with serious death threats: If he publicly opposes those who accuse him, he will be dead."

While Cardinal Maradiaga, in an interview with Religion Digital, reneged on all his critics and those of Pope Francis, in an interview with Il Giornale he tries to give the impression that all his critics are threatening him with death.

Already on August 29, he had in an interview, described the Vaticanist Edward Pentin (EWTN, National Catholic Register) as a “hitman.” With several revelations published last spring, Pentin, a reputable professional journalist, had weighed in heavily on the Cardinal.

Allegations scratch the papabile image

But it is not only Pentin's revelations that scratch the papabile image of the archbishop of Tegucigalpa. A few days ago, a priest raised new charges, which according to Maradiaga's own account, was suspended without stating a reason and without any possibility of defending himself. The priest is the native Spaniard Bernardo Font, who addressed Pope Francis in July with an open letter.

Like ambassador widow Martha Reichmann Valladares, he feels cheated by Maradiaga.

Recently, the cardinal denounced the social networks he accuses of spreading criticism against him as "fecal networks." With respect to Il Giornale, he now more or less stated that any criticism of his person was a form of murder threat.

Observers doubt that such a defense strategy can last long, but above all that it helps Pope Francis.

They defended Maradiaga in the end of January and declared the then criticism of the cardinal for settled. But the criticism did not stop, and new revelations were added, so that in July Maradiaga had to sacrifice his right hand, Auxiliary Bishop Juan Jose Pineda, in order to keep himself. Pineda's departure, in turn, has a lot to do with homosexuality and the question of whether or not homosexuals can and should become priests, which Maradiaga answered only very evasively.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi

Image: Il Giornale / Religion Digital (Screenshots)

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

Bergoglian Predator Bishop Insists He’s Done Nothing Wrong

Juan Jose Pineda: “There is Nothing Against Me, I Askedto Resign, Myself”

Edit: sometimes there’s a good reason that people are on the margins.

(Tegucigalpa) Last Saturday, Pope Francis retired the right hand of Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga as Auxiliary Bishop of Tegucigalpa in Honduras. Msgr. Juan Jose Pineda Fasquelle confirmed the impression attached to this retirement.

Msgr. Pineda had been in the headlines since the end of 2017, with the real criticism being directed at the Pope's confidant Cardinal Maradiaga. Pope Francis had sent a confidant to Honduras a year ago to see to it, but remained inactive.

It was not until public pressure became too great that the need to take action in Rome was felt. The Honduran media had reported early, but they were not weighty enough. It was not until the Italian weekly L'Espresso announced the matter that an international response took shape.

The impression: Cardinal Maradiaga supported his suffragan bishop, while Cardinal Maradiaga was supported by Pope Francis. Maradiaga in turn supported the current pontificate. In order for this to continue to be so, the auxiliary bishop now had to give up his office, as the case had become intolerable, apparently to bring the cardinal out of the line of fire. In some ways, the Pineda case recalls the Barros case.

Pineda was retired on Saturday. But no sanctions were announced against him, which surprised observers in Rome and Tegucigalpa. Rather, it was said that he - for some unknown reason - asked for his resignation. The Pope had only met this wish. That's certainly not true.

But Pineda seems so sure of his ropes that he can dare go on the offensive. After announcing his retirement, he frankly asked the media questions. He told the most important newspapers, from El Heraldo to La Prensa to La Tribuna, and radio stations, that he had been retired at his request. He wants to turn to “new tasks.”Above all, he stressed that there are no sanctions against him. He himself had asked Rome for inquiries, which should give the impression of a self-report. That, too, does not correspond to the facts. The thrust is clear.

"There are no charges against me," Pineda said in an interview with TV station TN5.
In view of the media reports about his double life and his financial management, such statements are bold. They can only be explained by the fact that Pineda feels secure that no charge is made against him.

"It is better for one to die than for the whole people to save themselves."
Such a strange, cryptic statement by the former auxiliary bishop.

Anyone who wants to accuse him of something should do so with the competent courts so that he can defend himself. Since there are no such allegations, he has nothing to say about it. In any case, he would not comment on any allegations about the media.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Heraldo (screenshot)
Trans:Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

Cardinal Maradiaga Financial Scandal: Pope Has Ordered Investigation

(Rome) Last Thursday was not very pleasant for all those present in the Sala Clementina of the Apostolic Palace, and really not desirable for anyone.

For the curia workers, because they had to anticipate, the new "gift" of a renewed chastisement from the Pope for Christmas. But also for Pope Francis, because on the same morning the weekly magazine L'Espresso (comparable to the Spiegel/Time Magazine) with a dossier of one of the closest pope confidants and personal friends, the Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, this was anything but good.

Cathedral of Tegucigalpa

While Francis did in the Sala Clementina, that which the Curials had already feared - bludgeoning them for the fifth year in a row, talking about "traitors," "intrigues," "disloyalty," and "cancerous ulcers," was one of his own closest advisers in the spotlight of a "new scandal", as L'Espresso wrote.

The weekly magazine revealed that Cardinal Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa in Honduras, was president of Caritas International and co-ordinator of the C9 Cardinal Council wanted by Francis in Rome, to make extra payments to his official remuneration.

600,000 extra and the "disappeared" millions

As archbishop, he is automatically also the Grand Chancellor of the local Catholic University. As such, Maradiaga had to pay nearly $ 600,000 annually from the university in recent years. More than 41,000 dollars or the equivalent of 35,000 euros flowed additionally monthly in return for nothing in Maradiagas pockets. In the month of December, he even paid himself out more than $ 60,000 as a Christmas bonus. Whoever can will. Maradiaga could because he is in the requisite power position.

The matter is generally extremely unpleasant for Pope Francis, who is particularly concerned about his own image. The thing is very dire because, since the beginning of the pontificate of Francis, Maradiaga has not only acted as a kind of vice-pope, especially in Latin America, but is also one of the most vociferous advocates of a "poor Church for the poor." At the same time he maintained a link to the restless globalist US multi-billionaire George Soros.

Maradiaga's pauperism has turned out to be a mere frippery with the L'Espresso piece. An action of the Pope was unavoidable with his Christmas scolding of the curia and the Maradiaga dossier.

Pope orders investigations - Cardinal Maradiaga not mentioned

As Vatican spokesman Greg Burke announced on the 24th of December, Pope Francis had "personally" arranged investigations into "alleged irregularities in the Archdiocese of Tegucigalpa," said EFE [A Spanish international news agency created in 1939 by Spain's former minister of the press and propaganda Ramón Serrano Súñer and Manuel Aznar Zubigaray].

Auxiliary Bishop Pineda

Burke did not make a direct connection with Maradiaga. According to L'Espresso, the "irregularities" do not concern the extra payments made to the Cardinal, but rather "conspicuous" millions of euros in money transfer, for which the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese, Juan Jose Pineda, is responsible.

It was also unequivocally implied that Pineda could hardly effect the money transfers without the knowledge of Cardinal Maradiaga. This was probably even done on his behalf. They are related to London financial services providers, including Leman Wealth Management. The millions were deposited in German banks. Part of the money should now be "gone".

According to Vatican spokesman Greg Burke, the Pope has given the order to go in search of the money.

Cardinal Maradiaga positioned himself last spring as a potential successor to Pope Francis. This should be, as much as can be foreseen at least now, no longer the case.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi 
Image: Youtube / Wikicommons / Annus fidei
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
AMDG

Pope Intimate and Poverty Poser Receives $600,000 a Year to Do Nothing

Pauperist Maradiaga, Pope intimate and coordinator of the C9 Cardinal Advisory, has received 600,000 dollars yearly as a "bonus" without consideration.

"35,000 euros a month for the Cardinal. New scandal in the Vatican for Pope Francis. The friend and advisor of Francis, Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, preached pauperism, but received half a mission a year from a University of Honduras. "

The weekly L'Espresso magazine reported on the extra income of one of Pope Francis' closest confidants, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, former chairman of Caritas International, who under the current pontificate, considered himself a particularly intense poverty preacher of a "poor church for the poor."  He additionally even put himself in position as a potential successor to Pope Francis.

The weekly magazine unveiled the "new scandal" yesterday coinciding with the Christmas address of the Pope to the Roman Curia, which again became a verbal attack against the central office of the universal Church.

According to L'Espresso, Cardinal Maradiaga receives $ 41,600 a month from the Catholic University of Tegucigalpa , of which he is the Grand Chancellor. In December, he even received $ 64,200 as a "Christmas present". In 2015 alone, the total amount that Maradiaga received for his "services" as Grand Chancellor amounted to "nearly $ 600,000." The Office of the "Grand Chancellor" is automatically linked to that of the Archbishop and has the purpose of ensuring the solidarity of the University with the Church. The office has primarily representative functions and also control oversight. Work or services are not associated with it. The payments to Cardinal Maradiaga are an "extra" to his ordinary income, which  the cardinal as the highest official has availed to himself to a certain extent. You could also say self service.

The cardinal with the wire to George Soros

Soros donation for Pope's visit to the United States and the UN Sustainable Development Summit

Maradiaga had already been accused in the summer of 2016, following DC Leaks revelations, in connection with the Pope's visit to the United States in 2015, to have concluded a deal with the left-wing activist and billionaire multi-billionaire George Soros. A payment of $ 650,000 from Soros for financing the Pope's visit is attested. Since then, the question has been raised as to which influence Soros and his network were able to exert on the Pope's visit. It was speculated that Pope Francis was silent in return for topics such as the mass murder of unborn children through abortion and "gay marriage", two "holy cows" of the political left.

Maradiaga also proved to be a particularly keen club-swingers against any criticism of the administration of Pope Francis. He was particularly underhanded against the Cardinals who presented Pope Francis in autumn 2016 with the Dubia (doubt) to the controversial post-synodal letter Amoris laetitia. Maradiaga's speech for Italian Switzerland's television was a shameful train wreck, for which the Honduran neither apologized nor did Pope Francis demand such from him. Maradiaga had said:

"First and foremost, I think they did not read Amoris laetitia, because unfortunately that is the case! I know the four and say: you are already retired. How come they say nothing to those who make weapons? Some are in countries that produce and sell weapons for the genocide that takes place in Syria - for example. Why? I do not want to be, let's say, too harsh: only God alone knows the conscience of men and the inner motives, but seen from the outside, this seems to me a new pharisaism. They were wrong, they better do something else. "

Text: Giuseppe Nardi 
Image: L'Espresso (screenshot) / InfoVaticana

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

Müller to Mainz, Schönborn and Maradiaga to Rome? Who is Playing the Game of Rumors?

(Rome) At certain intervals the rumor mill surrounding the Roman Curia will run. Currently, there are several speculations, of which the most important would be particularly worrisome. Currently, however, it is unclear who is playing what game with the rumors, and which part of the gossip has veracity.

The previous Prefect, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, it is rumored, will be the new Bishop of Mainz and  succeed there Cardinal Karl Lehmann, who was retired last May 16 with the completion of his 80th year. The new Cardinal Prefect of the Roman Congregation is supposed to be Vienna Archbishop Christoph Schonborn.

The fact is that the relationship between Pope Francis and Cardinal  Müller is severely strained, while the President of the Austrian Bishops' Conference is currently experiencing a flight of fancy in the papal favor. Both such contrasting movements have not the least to do with the Post-Synodal Exhortation Amoris laetitia. It's not about questions of sympathy but  a tangible and fundamental factional dispute. Behind this is the question of where Pope Francis will lead the Church. The Pope has ignored Cardinal Müller, who recently, along with the entire CDF, recently attacked. though only indirectly, the unassailable Pope Francis, but with a breathtaking statement, accusing the Pope's  ghostwriter, Titular Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernandez, of being "heretical". The three magisterial documents by the Pope: Evangelii gaudium (2013), Laudato si (2015) and Amoris laetitia (2016)  all come from the pen of Fernandez.

Cardinal Schönborn

Cardinal Schönborn in turn was also rumored in 2005 to succeed  Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger in the CDF. However, the German pope decided otherwise. In 2012,  the Vienna archbishop hailed the decision, to appoint the then Bishop of Regensburg, Gerhard Ludwig Müller, as the new CDF, as an "excellent choice". Since then, however, much has changed, especially the Pope in Rome.

Opaque backers and intentions

The rumor is to be treated with caution: First, the explosive reshuffle has been disseminated by the progressive media. In German-speaking parts it's KNA, the press agency of the German Bishops' Conference was responsible. Secondly, KNA published its information on the basis of information  published in the faraway Malaysia Catholic Herald newspaper of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur. Verification was not even possible on demand. The probability that a diaspora institution would serve as the first media reporter of so far-reaching a reshuffle is not impossible, but extremely low.

The closer one comes to the progressive Spanish news site Religion Digital, which is known for its notorious papolatria since the recent conclave. It took over  the role of KNA in the Spanish-speaking world and maintains good contacts with the Honduran Cardinal, Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga. The progressive organ headlined several times in recent months, with headlines in the way: "Francis Builds, Müller Destroys."

Rylko back to Poland, Maradiaga still on his second attempt to Rome?

The rumors of personnel changes affect not only the cardinals Müller and Schönborn. According to the same source, the 77-year-old Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, the longtime first secretary of Pope John Paul II., is to be replaced as Archbishop of Krakow by Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, the current President of the Council of the Laity. This would be due to the dissolution of the Council for the Laity, whose responsibilities will be incorporated into the upcoming September 1 Congregation for Family, Laity and Health Pastoral. The first prefect of the new congregation would be likely to be the Pope confidant Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga of Honduras.

 Cardinal Maradiaga

Maradiaga, who received the title of "Vice Pope"  because of his euphoric appearance in the first months of the current pontificate is coordinator of the C9-Cardinal Council in support of Pope Francis in the reform of the Curia and the guidance of the universal Church. Recently, however, it was become pretty quiet around the Honduran Cardinal.

In 2010, he was already being talked about as candidate for a Prefect of a Roman Congregation. He was to take over the management of the Congregation of Religious. However,   the Brazilian Joao Braz de Aviz was appointed, who has been hunting the  Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate since 2013. Stubborn voices wanted to know if Cardinal Maradiaga had recommended himself recommended for the Roman post.

Cardinal Angelo Amato, the current prefect of the Congregation of Saints is to be replaced because of his age of 78 years by the current substitutes of the Cardinal State Secretariat, Curia Archbishop Angelo Becciu. New assistant and thus right hand of Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin will be the current apostolic nuncio in Lebanon, Titular Archbishop Gabriele Caccia.

The next few days and weeks will bring clarity. Until then, the rumor mill should be given little credence, since for the time being things remain opaque, what game is to being played at and which part could be true. The fact is that the rumors claiming personnel switches around the CDF would drive the wedge of Pope Francis and his entourage deeper into the body of the Church. In the past few days another German cardinal, Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, warned of  the "very great danger" of a schism.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi

Image: Religion Digital (screenshots)
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
AMDG

Cardinal Müller: Pope Is Not Above the Word of God and the Catholic Faith

Edit: Rorate tends to understate things.  They want a sober response.  We'd like to offer this translation of Giuseppe Nardi's appreciation of their take on Cardinal Müller's recent letter appearing in the Osservatore Romano and additional commentary from other important Italian blogs.

(Rome) The extremely progressivist French newspaper Golias has sounded the alarm because of the "danger" that churchmen like the Cardinals Burke, Müller, Ranjith, Cañizares, Ouellet, Sarah and other "young cardinals" could prevent further "liberalization" of the constitution of the Church  with support of older cardinals like Scola, Pell and Caffarra.

The traditional  website Chiesa e Postconcilio contrast wrote: "God allows evil only so it is good bring about an even greater good. The immense disorder in the Bishops'  Synod on the Family led to wonderful declarations of faith by high-ranking prelates, the signs of hope for the future of the Church."

Cardinal Gerhard Müller is prefect of the Congregation and one of the five cardinals who wrote for the anthology "Remain in the Truth of Christ" along with the other bearers of the purple,  Brandmüller, De Paolis, Burke and Caffarra for the Synod of Bishops on the family in 2014.  Recently he had made ​his lecture public ​on the website of the CDF,  the referendum on the 13th of January by the Hungarian Esztergom on "The Theological Nature of the Doctrinal  Commissions and the Office of Bishops as Teachers of the Faith."

Put things into place

"In a very Ratzingerian way" says Rorate Caeli , "Cardinal Müller (referring to the Motu Proprio Apostolos Suos of John Paul II.), puts things in their place." He distinguishes between the supplementary authority of the Bishops and their organs, such as the Commissions on Faith, which are tasked to harmonize the various pastoral orientations, and the divine right of the successors of the apostles, that is of a different nature, and to the  extent makes them  teachers and guardians of the faith for their local churches, as they accept at the same time, the universal Church in union with the supreme pastor, the Pope.

The Cardinal recently wrote about this: "So the predicates of the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church in the Roman Church  are realized a fortiori. Since ancient times it has called forth the Holy Roman Church - not because of the subjective holiness of her head and her members, but because of the holiness of its specific mission which is to pass down and preserves intact the apostolic tradition, the deposit of faith.".

The following passage in the speech by Cardinal Müller on the papal magisterium held some attention in Rome:

Cardinal Mülller: The Pope 'like all believers - is subject to the word of God and the Catholic faith "

"At the level of the universal Church the special mission of the Successor of Peter is especially mentioned to strengthen his brethren in the faith (cf.. Lc 22,32). This is not the place to deal with the doctrine of papal infallibility, but the characteristic and ultimate responsibility of the Roman Pontiff  emphasizes protecting healthy doctrine. In its "Considerations on the Primacy of the Successor of Peter in the Mystery of the Church "of 1998, the Congregation declared: 'The bishop of Rome is - like all believers - subject to the word of God and the Catholic faith. He is the guarantee for the obedience of the Church and in this sense servus servorum. He decides according to his own will, but it is voice  the will of the Lord who speaks to man in Scripture lived and interpreted by tradition. In other words, the episkope of primacy has limits, resulting from the law of God and contained in   revelation  in the untouchable divine institution of the Church. The Successor of Peter is the rock that against arbitrariness and conformism, he guarantees a relentless fidelity to the Word of God: It also follows the  martyrological characters of his primacy.'"

Cardinal Sarah: "Some want to sacrifice Christ's message for relativistic ideology of the West"

Cardinal Robert Sarah

Cardinal Robert Sarah, the new prefect of the Roman Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments made ​​it clear in his recently published book, "God or nothing" (Dieu ou rien) in France this week that he is on the "same wavelength" (on Rorate Caeli ). Cardinal Sarah explained in moving detail from his life and shows his solid theology and spiritual claims that he is a priest and pastors of the Church.The language of the African bishop and cardinal, who risked his life more than once, "reached a formal level, when he speaks of the relativistic ideology of the West, to which some want to sacrifice the message of Christ" and all there - as it is now fashionable - to adorn this  with winning quotes from Pope Francis, says Rorate Caeli.

Cardinal Müller: "Clean the Temple"

On February 8,Osservatore Romano published under the title "Purifying the Temple" a above-cited article by Cardinal Müller in Italian, in the German edition has appeared under the official title " Theological criteria for a reform of the Church and the Roman Curia", [Our translation, no idea where the English version is right now, will continue to check.] Müller points to the fact that the real reforms in Church history were always spiritual and not political reforms. The Curial reform must therefore, if it is to be of real importance for the renewal of the Church, be a spiritual reform in the first place. Its organizational structure and its operation must be subordinated to the special mission of the Successor of Peter.

In the words of Cardinal Müller: "The Curia is not a secular administrative structure, it is an essentially spiritual device that is rooted in the special mission of the Church of Rome, which is sanctified by the martyrdom of the Apostles Peter and Paul. (...) The structural organization and operation of the Curia has its measure in the specific mission of the Bishop of Rome. This [officeholder?] is defined as the Successor of Peter, the gift of Christ to his Church "the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity of the multiplicity of both bishops and of the faithful" (Lumen Gentium, 23). "

Cardinal Müller's criticism of permanent synod as part of the church leadership

Cardinal Oscar Maradiaga

He continued: "As we can differ only in the light of revealed faith from a purely human religious community, the Church, so we understand only in faith that the Pope and the bishops have a sacramental and healing supreme power  that connects us with God. This  distinguishes them from leaders those  religious community springs from sociological and organizational foundations," Cardinal Müller.

One  sentence rings forth with especial clarity: "The Synod of Bishops, the Episcopal Conferences and other coalitions of bishops belong to a different theological category than the Roman Curia." It's a direct criticism of a new idea that has formed in the circle of the C9 Cardinal Council, which is mandated to propose suggestions for the reform of the Curia. According to the new idea, ​the Synod of Bishops should become a sort of permanent institution that is part of the Roman dicasteries by a permanent delegation and should thus have a direct stake in Church leadership. [Like a sort of Universal Catholic Council of Bishops?] The spokesman for extending the influence of episcopal collegiality with a new Synodality is the Honduran, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga.

"In definitive words, the Cardinals Miller and Sarah  express that which differs from figures such as Baldisseri, Marx, Tagle and Kasper," said Rorate Caeli.

Text: Giuseppe Mardi
image: Messa in Latino
Trans: Tancred verkon99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
AMDG

Cardinal Maradiaga: "One May Also Criticize This Pope, But With Love"

(Rome) since Monday morning the C8 Cardinal Council will be meeting for the third time. Cardinal Maradiaga, the coordinator of the Council has also said in advance that one may criticize "this Pope, but with love."

Pope Francis appointed  eight Cardinals in April 2013  to consult with them in regarding the reform of the Curia and the leadership of the Church. Their meeting  will last until Wednesday evening. On Thursday  a four-day meeting of the entire College of Cardinals begins. The first two days as a regular, then as an extraordinary consistory with the inclusion to the College of newly appointed cardinals by the Pope.

Ahead of the meeting  C8 Cardinal Maradiaga has confirmed what was already suspected: "We will listen to the commission for Vatican Bank IO and economic affairs" (see separate report Vatican intensive: C8 Council and Consistory for "Hot" Topic of the Family ).

Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa in Honduras is the coordinator of the C8 Council.  According to the media, he has recently been referred to as "Vice-Pope" because he has been particularly self-assured as the coordinator since the election of Pope Francis and his appointment.

"The work of our Commission have begun in October. It is a serious job to be accomplished, which is why one must have patience. It is a work that will bring its fruits, but a hasty society must have patience. The things of the Lord will take time," said the cardinal  in an interview for Tgcom24 . "Even the Pope has said that we should live according to the words of the New Testament. Therefore, we have to work with discretion. This means that it is necessary to listen, to pray, to converse and then decide. We are in this process," said Maradiaga.

The Honduran cardinal was asked whether one should criticize "this pope"  because of  some issue. "I remember a lot of Pope Paul VI. He took the view that one can criticize the Church, but like a child criticizes his mother. In the same way, I thnk you can criticize this pope, but with love," said Cardinal Maradiaga. 

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: AsiaNews

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Edit: We couldn't find this article translated at Asianews.it yet, so here it is, but with a note.  Not to be contentious, but we noticed that Paul VI may not have minded criticism of the Church so much, however intemperate and unrealistic it was, but he hated being criticized, even gently:

Then the Holy Father said to me, further:

"It is true, is it not, that you condemn me?" 

I had the strong impression that it all came back rather to his person, that he was personally hurt: 

"You condemn me, so what ought I to do? Must I hand in my resignation and let you take my place?" 

"Oh!" I put my head in my hands. 

"Holy Father, do not say such things. No, no, no, no!" I then said: 

"Holy Father, let me continue. You have the solution of the problem in your hands. You need say only one word to the bishops: receive fraternally, with understanding and charity all those groups of traditionalists, all those who wish to keep the prayer of former days, the sacraments as before, the catechism as before. Receive them, give them places of worship, settle with them so that they can pray and remain in relation with you, in intimate relation with their bishops. You need say only one word to the bishops and everything will return to order and at that moment we shall have no more problems. Things will return to order. As for the seminary, I myself shall have no difficulty in going to the bishops and asking them to implant my priests in their dioceses: things will be done normally. I myself am very willing to renew relations with a commission you could name from the Congregation of Religious to come to the seminary. But clearly we shall keep and wish to continue the practice of Tradition. We should be allowed to maintain that practice. But I want to return to normal and official relations with the Holy See and with the Congregations. Beyond that I want nothing.”

Link to Katholisches....

AMGD