The content of the letter that Francis wrote to the cardinals on 16
September about the [catastrophic] economic situation of the Holy See
doesn't correspond to reality, writes Specola (InfoVaticana.com).
In the Vatican, the letter was commented on as follows: "Another marketing operation; if people knew the truth...".
Specola
quotes a cardinal at length: "Francis writes a letter to us cardinals
after the Apostolic Constitution [Praedicate Evangelium on the
reorganisation of the Roman Curia (2022)], which is full of errors, has
been approved without considering us."
The text of the
constitution was presented to the cardinals after its publication, the
Cardinal says, "and the considerations we made after the event were
rejected by those who supposedly worked day and night in the Vatican,
sweating and spitting blood, until they finally published a text full of
errors".
In the entire history of the Church, it is difficult to
find another Pope who has marginalised the cardinals more than
Bergoglio, the cardinal says.
The economic management of the
Vatican is practically under Francis' personal control: "He also manages
the Vatican apartments as if he were a hotelier."
And: "For
years he has been saying that we must be poor, poor and poor. But in the
pontificate of poverty the Vatican has accumulated more debt than
before his election".
The cardinal points out that those who visit Bergoglio in Santa Marta always come with "nice envelopes [with money]":
"All
the 'great men of finance' whose visits are sometimes, but not always,
published in the bulletin of the Holy See, do not come empty-handed. But
where does all this money end up which Francis receives?" asks the
Cardinal. "Bergoglio sends money for this cause or for that cause. When
he is asked, he tries to trick those who ask him with some magic words:
immigrants, poor, needy, transvestites... He pretends things".
According
to the cardinal, Francis' "reforms" are more about marketing operations
than real change. Francis has abolished the subsidised rent for
cardinals (fortunately for most of them, this has not yet come into
force).
Moreover, he likes to adopt an accusatory tone in his
letters. In his last letter he writes, for example: "Despite the
difficulties and, at times, the temptation to inactivity and rigidity in
the face of change, many results have been achieved in recent years. I
thank you for the help you have given and will continue to give".
The
Cardinal points out that "Francis has not yet understood that the
resistance to these reforms, I refer to Praedicate Evangelium but also
to In Ecclesiarum Communion, is not because we are 'immobile' or
anything like that, but because we are very clear that the reforms are
not applicable."
"We are not a company, we are the Church of
Christ! Can Francis explain how this reform has borne fruit? The number
of offices has grown, the structures have grown, the expenses have
grown, and now you are asking us to find the money ourselves?"
The
Cardinal continues: "While Bergoglio was in Buenos Aires, we have
served the Holy See all our lives. We are very aware of the problems,
the dynamics and the needs. When you come from the 'end of the world',
you also have to practice humility, understanding that you cannot find
the solution without knowing the problem. First one has to know and
listen".
"One [= Francis] cannot trust those one falls in love
with for a few months and then chase them away. How much money has been
wasted in recent years because of Francis and his friends? He has tried
and condemned a man [Cardinal Becciu] who, like his predecessors, made
an investment. If we did not invest, how could we make this asset
profitable?"
"Instead of attacking these laymen [= certain
investors trusted by the Vatican] who were eating behind our backs and
trying to deceive us, he tortured a cardinal of the Holy Roman Church."
"To
give you an idea of how much the members of the Sacred College are
valued by Francis, it is enough to think that historically, within 48
hours, a cardinal was entitled to an audience with the Holy Father if he
asked for it. Today, if you don't belong to Francis' magic circle, you
don't get an audience even after years".
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