VATICAN CITY
CNN
September 23, 2018
By Daniel Burke
One rarely leaves his monastery high on a hill in Vatican City. The other speaks freely — too freely, critics say — but has vowed silence on this matter, for now.
Two men, both clad in white, both called Holy Father, and now, both facing questions about a crucial facet of the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse crisis: What did they know, and when?
Amid the onslaught of news about the scandal, it can be easy to overlook the historical novelty and high drama of this moment in the life of the church: For the first time in 600 years, there are two living popes, one retired and one active, whose fates may be intertwined, even as many of their followers are at odds.
It has been nearly a month since a former papal diplomat published a dramatic letter asserting a “homosexual networks” and widespread cover-ups within the highest levels of the Catholic Church.
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