Just days before
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope, he criticized the Vatican culture as one of
narcissism. Speaking to reporters of the popular Italian press La Repubblica
Pope Francis emphasized that "Heads of
the Church have often been narcissists, flattered and thrilled by their
courtiers. The court is the leprosy of the papacy.”[1]
This staggering accusation by the future Pope Francis seems to suggest that he and the Vatican might finally be prepared to address the endemic and systemic issues which until now have remained hidden behind the sexual abuse and financial scandals of the Vatican Bank (Istituto per le Opere di Religione - IOR).
For many years experts, such as
Richard A.W. Sipe, have stated that the sexual abuse and cover-up is central to
clerical culture and its inherent narcissism. Is
it possible that Pope Francis read the article by Sipe published in March of
2013 under the heading Spirituality andthe Culture of Narcissism'.[2] Judge
for yourself. .
At an unprecedented summit convened
in Rome at the behest of Pope Francis earlier this month, a Vatican official
warned the treasurers of 500 Catholic orders from around the world that their
financial wealth, sometimes used for secular, commercial purposes such as
running hotels and restaurants, was contrary to the teachings of the Catholic
Church and imperils their religious mission. This new move by Francis,
just one part of what many Catholics hope are wide-ranging financial reforms
within the church, is driven by the pope’s concern that by engaging in modern
economic activity, religious institutions “run the risk of losing their true
identity.” Watch the on-line documentary ‘Holy Money’ [3]
presented by CBC’s ‘The Passionate Eye’ as they investigate the financial
scandals rocking the Catholic Church & the efforts of Pope Francis to clean
up the Vatican’s multi-billion-dollar business dealings amid accusations of
money laundering, corruption, and misuse of donations here.
A year has gone by since Pope Francis took over leadership of the Roman Catholic Church. His growing popularity and humble manner has been unmistakable. Hardly a week goes by when 'Il Papa' does not provide the world with some example of what is means to live a simple Christian life despite the fact that he operates out of an extra-ordinary religious institution which can hardly be called simple.
A year has gone by since Pope Francis took over leadership of the Roman Catholic Church. His growing popularity and humble manner has been unmistakable. Hardly a week goes by when 'Il Papa' does not provide the world with some example of what is means to live a simple Christian life despite the fact that he operates out of an extra-ordinary religious institution which can hardly be called simple.
Many are now asking is this Pope is finally going
to bring about the necessary changes that would restore trust in a much tainted
institution? Is this the Pope who will finally tackle the church’s most
challenging issues such as contraception, divorce, women in the church,
abortion, celibacy, homosexuality, and same-sex marriage? Is this the
Pope who will finally address and listen to the People of God? Or, is
this a Pope who will ultimately be forced to defer to his immediate advisers? The
latter seems more likely according to his German critics.
The German weekly tabloid Der Spiegel in an article
‘The Pope’s Sex Problem‘’ [4]
takes issue with the Synod of Bishops’ questionnaire ‘Catholic Family Values
Survey’. This hurried document, blessed by Pope Francis, which
hardly saw the light of day in most parishes, will be dealt with almost
exclusively by an all male and celibate jury in October of this year.
Disappointed Catholics will ultimately see this as a return to the conservative
style of Pope Benedict.
Critics derisively refer to Pope Francis's approach
as "Papastroika, as if he were opening the Church like Mikhail Gorbachev
opened the Soviet Union. That, as we now know, ended in chaos. But it should be
noted that, unlike Gorbachev, Francis has yet to modify or eliminate a single
relevant rule or regulation in his realm.
Those who have put their hopes in Pope Francis will
need to realize that he is faced with some enormous challenges not the least of
which have all been shrouded in centuries of secrecy and intrigue inside an
established patriarchal hierarchy such as the Roman Curia that unfortunately sees
itself as far above and beyond the $ 1.2 billion followers it is called to
serve. It will probably take more than just one man to make the
necessary changes and before it can return the institution to the trusted place
it once held. It will probably take more than one man to remove the narcissist
from the papal court.
