Some Questions Regarding the “Alternate Title” of English Version of Socci Book

Personally, I think Socci is a sensational journalist with a degree in modern lit, and Barnhardt is a cattle broker with a degree in beef production. In other words, neither has any training in theology or canon law. That said, this still raises questions that our friends at Angelico Press need to answer.

From non veni pacem

UPDATE! 1 June 2016 8:16 pm Arizona time: It has been confirmed that Antonio Socci himself was against the change in the book title, along with the translator. This answers questions one and two in the post that follows. Question three remains unanswered.

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You can’t make this stuff up.

About an hour ago, I received my paperback copy of the English version of the Socci book, “The Secret of Benedict, Why He is Still Pope.” What I noticed right away, which had escaped my attention in the past few days of nonsense, was that they

LITERALLY CHANGED THE TITLE OF THE BOOK.

The English version title reads, “The Secret of Benedict, Is He Still Pope?” Ann B. has since put up a post about it HERE, with pictures of both versions.

I mean, when you don’t like the evidence presented therein, I guess it’s totes legit to deliberately mistranslate a demonstrative statement into an open question in the title of the book. After all, words mean whatever we say they mean. You have no right to claim you know what those words meant. That’s not your realm. It was a question, see? Shut up.

I have some questions of my own:

• Did Socci know about this? Did he approve it?
• Was this change the work of “Giuseppe Pellegrino,” who translated the book, or did his bosses at Angelico Press do it without his knowledge?
• Was anyone at Angelico Press influenced by Dr. de Mattei’s detailed “refutation” (sic) of Socci’s book back in January (for which, wait for it, “Giuseppe” himself was the English translator)? SEE HERE
• Are there any other shenanigans in the other 170 pages, or is it just the front cover?
• Did Dr. Peter Kwasniewski, who himself is employed as an editor by Angelico Press, exert any influence in this matter? SEE HERE
• Did Dr. Peter Kwasniewski, who himself has had several books published by Angelico Press, have an obligation to disclose those entanglements when he left a Five Star review for Socci’s Giuseppe’s work on Amazon?

Before you come in the combox and start bashing me for instigating a Trad circular firing squad, ask yourself if these would be fair questions if it were Fr. James Martin on the hot seat.