RHODE ISLAND
The Valley Breeze
Let’s see if I have this right. The Pope’s butler allegedly leaked documents which show systemic corruption in the Vatican. He is arrested. A study commission is appointed to root out other transgressors who leaked the information about the apparent illegalities so they too can be prosecuted. Nobody who actually perpetrated any offenses is fired let alone charged with any offenses. Sounds just like secular governments, doesn’t it? Kill the messenger.
Of course, the Vatican response is more opprobrious given the sanctimoniousness of its pronouncements about “Vatileaks.” The Pope is quoted as condemning this “grave immoral act” since the people who wrote the memos thought that they were speaking freely in front of God. Would that this Pope got so lathered up both in his former position as chief investigator of the child sexual abuse claims and now as head of the church. Now, that scandal is what I call one of “grave immoral acts.”
What “crimes” did the butler commit? For the umpteenth time in Church history he revealed evidence of money laundering rules being violated. He exposed millions of dollars being blown on contracts which many consider are kickbacks. The head of the Vatican bank was another whistle-blower who begged not to be transferred out of his position but he was sent packing. It isn’t right to tell Granny in her pew about how her widow’s mite is spent. The sad irony is that this Vatican bank chief was trying to get the bank on the so-called “white list” of financially virtuous countries. The Vatican, a country unto itself, isn’t on the list because of its suspect practices. That’s quite an indictment for a religious institution.
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