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The Pope always knew he had to face the issue of Vatican finances and the scourge of sexual abuse. Several of its measures arouse resistance in a certain sector of the clergy.
In the debates leading up to the conclave that elected Jorge Bergoglio as pontiff, cardinals around the world agreed that to get it over with the corruption of Vatican finances and with the scourge of sexual abuse they were – together with a revitalization of the religious task – the main challenges that the new Pope had to face. In the end, Benedict XVI had resigned admitting that his physical and mental strength had weakened amid internal power struggles that hid false economic manipulations and pedophilia case reports by members of the clergy in many countries revealing its magnitude.
Francois -who received a situation report composed of hundreds of pages prepared by three cardinals on the orders of Joseph Ratzinger – he was aware that he had to face without delay and with great determination the challenges set out by the cardinals. What he did not imagine is that these challenges, certainly enormous, would be even greater because of new cases or revelations from others before his papacy that would continue to shake the Church and damage its credibility. Because old and new episodes of corruption kept breaking out, as well as old and new abuses, and certainly in great number.
In recent months, the two challenges have faced Francisco with great power. Buy a building in an elegant The London neighborhood with funds earmarked for the Pope’s charities has aroused the suspicions of Vatican bank executives. With the support of the Argentine pontiff, an investigation was opened which detected other suspicious transactions and it gave way to an unprecedented trial of a once powerful Vatican cardinal (Angelo Becciu), two officials from the Vatican Secretariat of State, and half a dozen financial agents who have been linked for years investments from the Holy See.
Last week, a report commissioned by the French Church established that since 1950 they have been registered in France 216 thousand sexual abuse committed by members of the clergy which included between 2,900 and 3,200 priests, men and women religious. The figure – which far exceeded other relaxations such as that of the German Bishops’ Conference – caused, as expected, a great global impact and shook the whole Church. Francisco himself was surprised by the number of cases and expressed his “shame”, on the one hand for the victims and on the other hand for ecclesial inaction.
Francisco’s measures to make finances transparent
Indeed, from the beginning of his pontificate, Jorge Bergoglio took many measures to make Vatican finances transparent. It not only established internal rules, but also opened the accounts for the control of international organizations. Besides, authorized various judicial inquiries – although none have been the size of the current one, which involves a cardinal – and has separated many officials. The same can be said of them to combat the scourge of sexual abuse, which includes the exoneration of the bishop who does not properly handle a complaint.
It would take several pages to cite all of the actions he has taken on both issues. Of course, another thing is that the whole Church applies them to the letter. But it is true that the international control bodies today take a different look at the financial behavior of the Vatican and, in fact, they are lifting the sanctions and improving its rating. And cases of sexual abuse have fallen vertically, a trend that started with the papacy of Benedict XVI, but deepened with Francis.
However, Francisco’s attitude – especially in economic matters, but also in matters of abuse – has aroused and continues to arouse resistance in certain ecclesiastical sectors, minority, but very active. Many resistances are covered with an ideological component: the very conservative against the progressivism of Francisco, would be the explanatory synthesis of the conflict. But interests and entrepreneurship have a lot to do with it.
In obvious reference to this resistance, Francisco recently came to joke that after having been operated on in July, “some wanted to see me dead”. The truth is that today he is in good health, but his pontificate is going through a crucial period in order to overcome his great challenges.
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