From LifeSiteNews
August 31, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – Swiss Bishop Marian Eleganti has called Pope Francis' reaction to Archbishop Viganò's recent allegations that the Pope was involved in the cover-up for now ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick a “classical non-denial denial.”
“The silence of the Pope is a classical ‘non-denial denial’ [ein klassisches Nicht-Dementi]. After all, to lie is not an option, either,” he said in an August 30 interviewwith the Austrian Catholic news website Kath.net.
A “non-denial denial” has been defined by London's newspaper The Sunday Timesas “an on-the-record statement, usually made by a politician, repudiating a journalist's story, but in such a way as to leave open the possibility that it is actually true.”
Pope Francis told journalists last weekend that he was “not going to say a word” about allegations that he covered-up for and promoted McCarrick.
The Pope then added: “I believe that the statement speaks for itself, and you all have sufficient journalistic ability to draw conclusions. It is an act of trust. When a little time goes by, and you have drawn conclusions, perhaps I will speak about it.”
Bishop Eleganti also noted in the interview that the Pope has surrounded himself with a network of pro-homosexual counselors, adding that he cannot see how any bishop involved with the cover-up of abuse cases could remain in his office.
When asked whether bishops who themselves were involved in the cover-up of abuse cases should resign, Eleganti said: “It is hard to imagine that they would remain in their offices.”
Eleganti also spoke about the “homosexual network within the Catholic Church.”
Asked whether he sees signs of this network also in the German-speaking realm, the bishop responded: “Striking are the attempts to re-write the traditional teaching which regards homosexual acts as intrinsically disordered and which therefore forbids their practice.”
“Pope Francis is surrounded by cardinals and counselors who go into this direction,” he added.
These papal counselors “openly support James Martin, the most prominent promoter of a change of the traditional teaching with regard to homosexuality.” Some of these “cardinals and counselors,” explained Eleganti, “were in part appointed by Pope Francis, for example, Cupich, Tobin, Farrell. The latter [Farrell] then invited James Martin to Dublin [to the World Meeting of Families].”
Speaking about the consequences of these papal decisions, the Swiss prelate said: “What happens at the top of the Church, is being multiplied in her body, of course also in our German-speaking countries. As we have seen, Cardinal Marx and other German bishops thought in public already about the blessing of homosexual unions.”
LifeSiteNews has reported in detail on the German episcopal proposal of “liturgical” blessings of homosexual unions, as presented by both Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Munich, and Bishop Franz-Josef Bode.
When asked by Kath.net about the recent public rebuke Eleganti himself received from a neighboring Swiss diocese because of his statements on the role of homosexuality in the abuse crisis, Bishop Eleganti answered: “He who is informed about the Church's structures, is not astonished about it.”
In Eleganti's eyes, the “scandals and their backgrounds” show that “homosexual clergymen, their friends, and networks exist and are represented within the structures of the Church up to the highest levels.” While there are also some clergymen with homosexual inclinations who “live chastely and in a holy way,” “one hears daily from the others because of the dealing with the abuse cases.”
“It is part of today's political correctness” explained Eleganti, “and it is understood as a firm dogma that abuse and homosexuality may not be put together, much less may one consider or examine the possibility that a homosexual orientation can be changed.”
The gender theory, he added, teaches that “one may choose freely one's sexual orientation.” However, “to claim that clericalism is the only root problem of sexual abuse,” added the Swiss prelate, “is a classic case of avoidance of reality, that is to say, [it is] purely influenced by ideology and interests.”
Even Pope Francis fell recently “into this wasps' nest,” adds Eleganti, when he made “an unguarded, but honest statement” that “one could receive help from psychiatry in the case of children with a homosexual orientation.” “His spin doctors, therefore, censured immediately his statements in the transcript of the interview, and they removed the word 'psychiatry' and declared via Twitter that it is merely about the general psychological accompaniment of the same [children],” the bishop commented.
Elegant had elsewhere stated that those who only speak about clericalism and power structures, but not of homosexuality with regard to the abuse crisis are themselves promoting a cover-up. When asked by Kath.net about his statement and whether Pope Francis himself does not hold the same view about clericalism as the true root problem, the bishop responded that this question is “complex.”
In light of the current silence of Pope Francis with regard to the Viganò report, one might add that there is also a silence with regard to the request of the U.S. Bishops' Conference that the Pope send a delegation in order to investigate the abuse crisis in the U.S. This request was made by Archbishop Daniel DiNardo two weeks ago, and he still has not received an answer from the Vatican. As DiNardo states: “On August 16th, I called for an Apostolic Visitation, working in concert with a national lay commission granted independent authority, to seek the truth.”
DiNardo not only asked for an investigation, he also has now asked for a papal audience. “I am eager for an audience with the Holy Father,” DiNardo wrote, “to earn his support for our plan of action.” It is to be seen whether the Pope will remain silent here, as well.
In light of this papal silence, there is now a women's group collecting signatures from women who are calling on the Pope to respond to Viganò’s testimony. So far, 17,500 women have signed.
I often come here and just wanted to say thanks for your work. (Another 'oldie').
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