Hey Arch!!


I just read at a blog someplace that Pope Francis denied that he demoted Cardinal Burke because of his behavior at the synod. Doesn’t this prove that you are a right-wing reactionary nutjob who just hates the Pope?

Signed,
A guy who who used to read you but no longer does because you are a right-wing reactionary nutjob who just hates the Pope and even though I don’t read you anymore I still comment 4x a week.

Dear Guy,
Thank you for your question. I think many people like you, wittingly or otherwise, are suggesting that Pope Francis’ remarks in the La Nacion interview somehow proves that Cardinal Burke was not demoted. I don’t think that this can be established by the question or comments of the interview.

Let us address the question itself as it is erroneous in its premise so as to be leading the answer. The question was as follows. “A conservative sector in the US thinks that you removed the North American cardinal Raymond Leo Burke from the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura because he was the leader of a group that resisted changes of any type in the synod of bishops.. Is it true?”

The premise is that American conservatives are suggesting that Cardinal Burke was demoted because of and as result of the synod. This is incorrect. I can establish this since I, among those “American conservatives”, gave voice to the concerns of many over the demotion of Cardinal Burke. However I wrote about this in detail a month before the Synod even took place. I discussed in detail the rumors, all of which turned out to be true, a month in advance. So put forth the suggestion that “American conservatives” the demotion was a reaction to the synod is to suggest that “American conservatives” Pope Francis has the ability to see the future. I can assure, they do not believe this.

So the Pope’s confirmation that the decision to demote Cardinal Burke occurred in advance of the synod is to confirm all that was said by this “American conservative” at that time, for which commentary this blogger was called a right-wing reactionary nutjob who just hates the Pope.

So to answer your question Guy, no. I don’t think it proves anything other that what I said then. “But this move, if it happens, will be unspinnable. Some have already tried with embarrassing results. This is brutal Vatican politics carried out at the highest level for the crime of intransigent orthodoxy.”

Today’s spin is equally embarrassing.

Thanks for being a faithful reader,
Patrick

*subhead*Nope.*subhead*