Antonio Socci:
Reliable sources inside the Vatican have pieced together what happened. The book “From the Depths of Our Hearts” is clearly by Benedict XVI and Cardinal Sarah (as is indeed the letters between the two of them - made public by Cardinal Sarah - demonstrate unequivocally). Everything had been decided and agreed upon from the very start. The other day – when the part defending celibacy …More
Antonio Socci:
Reliable sources inside the Vatican have pieced together what happened. The book “From the Depths of Our Hearts” is clearly by Benedict XVI and Cardinal Sarah (as is indeed the letters between the two of them - made public by Cardinal Sarah - demonstrate unequivocally). Everything had been decided and agreed upon from the very start. The other day – when the part defending celibacy was published - pandemonium broke out in the Vatican because Bergoglio was fuming with rage. In fact, that authoritative pronouncement by Benedict, stops him from tearing apart ecclesiastic celibacy, as he had intended to do in the upcoming Post-Synod Exhortation. So, he personally summoned Monsignor Gaenswein, Benedict’s secretary, but also Prefect of Bergoglio’s Papal Household and, furious, ordered him to have Benedict XVI’s name removed from the cover of the book (being unable to demand the changing of the texts therein).
Bergoglio demanded a full and total disclaimer. For this reason the first filtered report spoke of sources “close to Benedict XVI” who said Benedict had not written the book with Cardinal Sarah, nor had he approved the cover (that is, his signature on the volume).
This however, was not true and Benedict XVI was unable to accept speaking falsely by implicitly accusing Cardinal Sarah of having involved him without his consent. Neither did Pope Benedict have any intention of taking back what he had written in defense of celibacy in the book. In fact Cardinal Sarah immediately made the letters exchanged between them public, which showed the book had been decided upon by both of them, and without doubt he made them public with Benedict’s permission. To re-establish the truth.
On the other hand, Benedict also found himself needing to protect his secretary from the South American’s “vengeance”, seeing as he had received a peremptory order from Bergoglio. So this solution of compromise was adopted: in successive book editions the author will be Cardinal Sarah “with the contribution of Benedict XVI”. The text of the book, nevertheless, remains the same.
With this messy compromise, the Bergoglian court can say to the mass-media that “Benedict XVI removed his signature from the book” (even if it’s not true) but in actual fact the book remains just as it is, with Sarah’s signature and Benedict’s name as author of the parts agreed upon.
A very ugly story of clerical bullying, which, in the end aims at muzzling Benedict XVI.
The fundamental question remains however: If Bergoglio – in his Exhortation - hits out at celibacy (with the ordination of “viri probati”), he places himself de facto in direct contrast with the doctrine of the Church, reaffirmed in recent days by Pope Benedict XVI. Thus, he becomes responsible for a very grave rift, fraught with consequences.
