Abuse of Power in the Vatican.
Pope Francis’ inner circle is abusing its power, writes Ed Condon in the Catholic Herald. According to him, contempt for the rule of law and proper procedure in the curia is palpable when dealing with some Vatican departments. Condon remembers the infamous case when Cardinal Beniamino Stella, the ultraliberal Prefect for the Congregation for Clergy, issued an unjust decree and had it signed by Francis in order to make an appeal against it impossible.
Condon reports another, recent case in which someone appealed before a Vatican department and received a phone call from a cardinal who told him to drop the appeal against a curial abuse of power. The cardinal gave the following reason, “If [the person being appealed] didn’t have the power to do what he wants, I can get the Pope to give it to him.” For Condon, the implication is clear – quote, “Access to the Pope is a serious commodity in Rome, and those few who have it are able and willing to take advantage …More