Grandma Hillary Clinton vs. Grandpa Figure Pope Francis in 2015 ?

By Jerry Slevin
Christian Catholicism
December 21, 2014

http://christiancatholicism.com/grandma-hillary-clinton-vs-grandpa-figure-pope-francis-in-2015/

1. Exceptional “Grandma” figures, Hillary Clinton and Betty Clermont, are in different ways poised to challenge in 2015 the world’s most prominent “Grandpa” type figure, Pope Francis, as the Vatican priest child abuse and contraception ban controversies are set to boil over next year.
2. Betty Clermont is a retired grandmother armed only with a computer and Internet access. She is author of “The Neo-Catholics”.  Her well researched recent reports relentlessly and exhaustively have shown the large gaps between Pope Francis’ deeds and words. Please see Betty Clermont’s exceptional, interesting and disturbing new report at:
3. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/12/20/1352183/-Duped-by-the-Media-on-Pope-Francis-Progressives-Wonder-How-Republicans-Get-Elected#
4. Hillary Clinton has been in Vatican struggles over women and children’s rights since at least her clash at the 1995 UN Beijing Conference on women’s reproductive rights with Mary Ann Glendon, now apparently Pope Francis’ top female adviser. For a recent look back at Hillary Clinton’s 1995 efforts, please see , “20 Minutes That Changed The World: Hillary Clinton In Beijing.” and her 1995 address at Beijing at:
5. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kate-grant/hillary-clinton_b_2603159.html
6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXM4E23Efvk
7. Betty Clermont also has exposed repeatedly the captive main stream media’s subtle and troubling role in creating the Francis Myth. She has illustrated extensively the appalling power of the nearly monopolistic main stream media, almost stealthily, to create an “accommodating” world religious leader in Francis to facilitate the obscene and dangerous trend towards worldwide income inequality. Where are the main stream media investigators on these matters?  Why are so many of them so often outdistanced by a lone, but courageous, grandmother like Betty Clermont?
8. The main stream media’s papal omissions, however, may soon be reversed in 2015. Two world media stars are on course to collide in the “battle of the sexes”, senior style, in 2015.
9. Pope Francis appears to be laying the groundwork for the Vatican’s ultimate clash in 2015 with Hillary Clinton that began over two decades ago. It goes back at least to the 1995 Beijing UN Conference challenge to Hillary Clinton led by Mary Ann Glendon, seemingly as Pope John Paul II’s “female warrior”, with help from Cardinal Sodano’s subordinate, Diarmuid Martin, now Dublin’s Archbishop.
10. The 1995 Vatican’s self serving position, still held, with regard to family-planning services, was that the ” … the Holy See’s actions during this Conference should in no way be interpreted as changing its well-known position that ” … the Holy See in no way endorses contraception or the use of condoms, either as a family-planning measure or in HIV/AIDS prevention programs …”.
11. The Vatican’s battle over contraception, indeed, will heat up in less than a month when Pope Francis visits the Philippines. As a prominent defender of the Catholic voiceless, theologian Jamie Manson, recently noted: “…  As I have documented previously in NCR, the Catholic church in the Philippines spent 10 years in the Supreme Court blocking the implementation of a state-sponsored reproductive health bill. Although 82 percent of Filipinos say that “the choice of a family planning method is a personal choice of couples and no one should interfere with it,” the Filipino hierarchy pressed on until a modified and more limited version of the law went into effect earlier this year. “
12. Jamie Manson then pointedly observed about the main stream media’s defenseless deference to the Catholic hierarchy: “Yet in all of the interviews I’ve seen with Cardinal Luis Tagle of Manila (a darling of some Catholic progressives) at the synod {of bishops in Rome in October}, I have not seen any reporter question him about contraception, the swelling population crisis in the Philippines, or the fact that Catholic Filipino families want access to contraception so they can feed their children and give them access to education.”
13. Will any reporter dare to ask Pope Francis about the contraception ban when he is in the Philippines in a few weeks? The papal ban was just further affirmed by approximately 95% of the bishops at the all celibate male Synod on the Family this past October. For Jamie Manson’s informative full remarks, please see:
14. http://ncronline.org/blogs/grace-margins/why-isnt-anyone-talking-about-synods-paragraphs-contraception
15. The continuing and future battleground in 2015 and after for Hillary Clinton and the Pope will likely be the rights of women and children. Boston based Mary Anne Glendon continues apparently to be a significant Vatican force, although bachelor Pope Francis seems quite eager to do battle on women’s issues directly, while usually ducking children’s issues as best he can, it appears.
16. Although, like Cardinal Pell, Mrs. Glendon has limited financial management experience, she currently serves as a director of the Vatican Bank. She likely continues also as a senior adviser on the Vatican’s sexual politics. Her reported longstanding close ties to disgraced Boston Cardinal Bernard Law and to the Legion of Christ’s pedophile founder, Fr. Marcial Maciel, have not diminished her Vatican influence, from all indications.
17. To date, Mrs. Glendon has, it appears, had little publicly to say about Law’s and Maciel’s misdeeds that led to harm for so many innocent children and their families. Francis seems to be oblivious to much of this sordid history, as he seems opportunistically to be too often about child abuse matters generally.
18. The landscape has changed considerably since 1995, however.  A well regarded US constitutional law litigator and professor, Marci Hamiton, who clerked for Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female US Supreme Court Justice, has recently indicated the current situation quite well.
19. Prof. Hamilton writes: “The President and all members of Congress failed to acknowledge the fact of clergy sex abuse and the role religion has played in creating the conditions for abuse. Congress and the President continued their 12-year tradition of never uttering the term “clergy sex abuse,” let alone acknowledging its existence. Apparently they believe only the Australian federal government should hold churches responsible for the protection of children from horrendous actions by trusted religious leaders, which I discuss below. Our national leaders sadly have chosen the path of political least resistance, rather than justice and the protection of children. It will be interesting to see whether the presidential candidates and their parties take up child safety as a platform plank. It was a lot easier to ignore the issue 12 years ago. They ignore it now at their peril … “. Please see her full remarks at:
20. http://verdict.justia.com/2014/12/11/2014-review-ups-downs-child-protection#sthash.ekISkKSL.dpuf
21. If Pope Francis wants to steer the Vatican Titanic promptly out of the relentless child abuse tsunami his papacy is facing, he must act creatively now.  After almost two years as pope, his advisory commission on child abuse, or so-called anti-abuse commission, will not even hold its initial meeting with its full membership until next February.
22. Its abuse survivor member, Marie Collins, months ago even complained publicly and bravely to AP’s Nicole Winfield about the commission’s slow pace, now ominously operationally under Cardinal Law’s former canon lawyer. Fr. Robert Oliver.
23. Pope Francis’ seems to be stalling on effectively launching his advisory anti-abuse commission. The delays now border on the almost farcical and shameful,  after almost two years as pope and especially after spending so much time and money on protecting Vatican finances. Is this an exercise in “graduality”?
24. According to Vatican press officer, Fr. Lombardi, at the recent December 9-11 meetings of the nine member Council of Cardinals, the Council reportedly discussed Curia reforms, the Council for the Economy, and the ongoing shaping of the Commission for Protection of Minors, or so called “anti-abuse  commission”.
25. Regarding the anti-abuse commission, Fr. Lombardi said that the body’s president, Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, reported to the Cardinals on how the commission’s work is proceeding. That must have been a brief presentation, no?  The anti-abuse commission reportedly will NOW begin to hire the personnel to carry on its work, with the efforts of the group’s Secretary, Fr. Robert  Oliver, to shape the advisory commission and its operating rules.
26. On Feb. 6-8, 2015, there is currently scheduled to be the first “full get together” of the anti-abuse commission, presided over by Cardinal O’Malley. In its official announcement (12/12/14), the Vatican stated, in pertinent part: “ …  From 6 to 8 February 2015 the Commission will hold its plenary session and it is expected that all members will be confirmed by that date, enabling it to define its field of action and activities …”.
27. So their you have it. After almost two years as pope, Francis’ subordinates and cherry picked members will define their field of action and activities.
28. Perhaps this slow moving commission will be ready to protect the next generation of children under the next pope! By then, Pope Francis will likely be enjoying as ex-Pope listening to Mozart in the Vatican retirement convent with the first ex-Pope.
29. How pathetic and disrespectful to defenseless children and abuse survivors! So Cardinal Law’s former canon lawyer will shape the advisory Commission and its statutes. Will Fr. Oliver get any advice from his old boss, Cardinal Law, who lives very comfortably nearby, or will he just rely on occasional faxes from Cardinal O’Malley? Has Cardinal Law already given his former subordinate any advice in Rome? Has any reporter ever asked Fr. Oliver about this? If not, why not?
30. Pope Francis’ evident stalling here is disappointing and unacceptable. After almost two years as pope and over a year after announcing the anti-abuse commission under pressure from UN committees, its agenda and operating rules are not yet even prepared. Who does Pope Francis think he is fooling?
31. For my related remarks, please see ” Adam’s Ribs Strike Back !!! Women vs. Pope Francis” at:
32.  http://christiancatholicism.com/adams-ribs-strike-back-women-vs-pope-francis/