UPDATE: What's Going On At The Vatican?

A Giant Sequoia, one of the largest living beings on 
Earth, possibly 3000 years old.  Sequoia National 
Park, Sierra Nevada Mountains, California 

     I have published several posts about the Vatican and know that many of my readers are very interested in this topic.  What follows below is a short update on what has been happening during the last few weeks regarding the Vatican, officially and unofficially.

          Since the end of 2011, there has been widespread speculation in the media, both MSM and Alternative, that Pope Benedict XVI would  resign early this year and, even more specifically, during this month.  He turned 85 on April 16th and marked seven years as pope on April 19th.  He is increasingly frail, now moving about with a cane or on a moving platform.

     The Pope's birthday celebration at the Vatican was an emotional event for him featuring Bavarian music and dancing as well as the attendance by his older brother, Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, and many others from his homeland of Bavaria and greater Germany.  His message both in his homily and "ad lib" remarks clearly seemed to squash resignation rumors, perhaps directed most pointedly at the College of Cardinals.

     The continuing scandals over banking practices, pedophilia  cover ups, sexual abuse, and leaks to the Italian media about political bickering within the Vatican threaten to permanently mar his legacy.  The Los Angeles Times reported on a 2002 study which showed that of 10,667 individual charges against 4392 priests,
6700 accusations were substantiated.  Last year, the church paid out $US144 million to settle abuse allegations and cover legal bills.  Then as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict XVI played a key role in determining how issues were handled for which he has received much criticism.  Additional sexual charges continue to surface, a problem that does not go away.

     This past week the Vatican stirred up yet another controversy, the Vatican rebuke of two US "left-leaning" nuns' organizations with "radical feminist" tendencies.  The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) represents at least 80% of the 57,000 US nuns.  The Network, a close partner of the LCWR,  is a social justice organization involved in health care and poverty programs.  The crackdown on US nuns was issued by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith following a lengthy investigation led by Bishop Leonard Blair of Toledo, Ohio.  The Congregation was previously headed by Pope Benedict before his election.  The Vatican has appointed Seattle Archbishop Peter Sartain to oversee the Conference's renewal.  He has actively campaigned for the repeal of Washington State's new law permitting gay marriage.

     The Vatican report cited the nuns' organizations with not taking a strong enough stand in support of Catholic doctrines against ordination of women, ministering to homosexuals, abortion, and contraception.  Probably most irritating to the Vatican is the fact that the women's organizations, having done their own research, disagreed with the American bishops' position against the Obama health care reform, and  openly supported the measure.  The Vatican voiced concern about "occasional public statements by the LCWR that disagree with or challenge positions taken by the bishops, who are the church's authentic teachers of faith and morals".

    The LCWR and Network are preparing a response to the Vatican report.  It is apparent that they feel the criticism is harsh, not justified, and more about politics than faith.  Sister Jo'Ann DeQattro, a nun in Los Angeles for the past 50 years, told Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez that the nuns felt insulted and demoralised by the ruling.  She said, "This is the same church that ignored people who were being pedophiles", suggesting that the ruling was a way to shift focus away from the ongoing sexual abuse scandal.

     Said Sister DeQattro, "We really know why they're focusing on the women.  It's all about control.  It's all about exercising authority".  Clearly, the report of the Vatican has been rejected by many nuns.  Archbishop Sartain may have a difficult road ahead working with the LCWR and the Network.  "I don't think the bishops have any idea of what they're in for", said Sister Simone Campbell, head of the Network.

     Pope Benedict XVI is regarded by some within the College of Cardinals as too frail to manage the boiling cauldron of issues currently facing the Vatican.  The speculation about a successor is driven not only by these current circumstances but by St. Malachy's "Prophecy of the Popes", first published in 1595, which claims that the next pope will be the last pope, "Peter the Roman", who will promote a world leader, the Anti-Christ.

     Petrus Romanus: The Final Pope Is Here by Thomas R. Horn and Cris D. Putnam (See my post of 4-9-2012) is rolling off the presses and available at your local bookstore.  It broke all pre-publication sales records for its publisher and the reviews to date are glowing.   A paperback of 586 pages for under $US20, this book is a bargain and a must for anyone who is fascinated by Vatican politics and predictions for "The End Times" which many believe are upon us.   According to the prophecy, the reign of "Peter the Roman" will end in the destruction of Rome.

     In February, 22 new Cardinals were added to the College of Cardinals, all of whom will be participating in the selection of the new pope.  The guessing game has begun in earnest over who the top candidates (each called papabile or possible pope) may be and what political and religious direction the papacy may take.  Out of 125 cardinals, half are Europeans and a quarter are Italian.  Those over 80 years of age do not vote.

     Michael Dougherty, a political editor and knowledgeable Vatican watcher for www.BusinessInsider.com, has compiled an interesting list of his top 15 candidates, the current position of each, age, the significance of the choice, and the pros and cons for selection.  He also includes odds from www.PaddyPower.com which bills itself as "Ireland's biggest, most successful, security conscious and innovative bookmaker".  Selection of a Pope is big business.

     In the top tier of strongest candidates by both Dougherty and PaddyPower are:

• Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson from Ghana, 63, a good communicator and superstar among the Cardinals
• Cardinal Angelo Scola, 70, from Italy, Archbishop of Milan, strong backing by Italian bloc of voters
• Cardinal Tarsicio Bertone, 77, from Italy, Secretary of State, knows where bodies are buried, strong Italian backing
• Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, 69, from Italy, Archbishop of Genoa and President of the Italian Episcopal Conference
• Cardinal Marc Oueliet, 67, from Canada, formerly Archbishop of Quebec; according to Dougherty, most qualified, fluent in 6 languages, and his top pick

The middle five candidates include:

• Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 75, from Argentina,  Archbishop of Buenos Aires, possibly second finisher to current pope in the conclave of 2005
• Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, 67, from Austria, Archbishop of Vienna
• Cardinal Timothy Dolan, 62, from United States,  Archbishop of New York
• Cardinal Albert Malcolm Ranjith, 64, from Sri Lanka, Archbishop of Colombo
• Cardinal Antonio Canizares Liovera, 66, from Italy, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacrament

 Each of last group has much lower odds or is not listed by PaddyPower but is on Dougherty's list:

• Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, 70, from Mexico, Archbishop of Mexico City, a real activist
• Cardinal George Pell, 70, from Australia, Archbishop of Sydney, well-known and well-regarded
• Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, 67, from Italy, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, fits Italian mold
• Cardinal Angelo Amato, 73, from Italy, current positions within Vatican, intellectual like Benedict XVI
• Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, 69, from Italy, Archbishop of Naples, has great resume, non-controversial Italian.

     Of these fifteen papabile, seven are from Italy, the remainder spread out across the world.  I have listed their names because, regardless of Pope Benedict's attempt to quiet the rumor mill, the conclave will be meeting in the foreseeable future to select his successor.  The top candidates above are probably the names we will see frequently in the news barring death, the rise of a new super-cardinal, a "dark horse", or some scandal affecting the current top contenders.  How all of this will play out relative to the Vatican's toe hold in Jerusalem is any one's guess at the moment.  

     Stay tuned because this story will likely become even more interesting as Vatican watchers keep score against the Prophecy of the Popes.