An 11-page letter published on August 26th by Vatican Official Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, entailed accusations of top officials of the Roman Catholic Church disregarding allegations of sexual abuse within the Church. The letter released a shock worldwide following its publication.
On August 22nd, Vigano approached a Vatican reporter, Marco Tosatti, and together they worked on the letter. This included details regarding Pope Francis covering up sexual abuse in the Vatican.
Additionally, the letter accused Pope Francis of ignoring reports of an investigation on ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick for the sexual abuse of a teenager. Also included was information from Viganò that Francis’ predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, had instilled rules against McCarrick, including that he live the rest of his life in solace and religious confinement after he was accused of years of sexual abuse and harassment towards adults. However, Pope Francis lifted the ban in 2013, allowing Mccarrick to become a Vatican adviser.
According to Tosatti, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò did not have any evidence to implicate Pope Francis. In addition to this, Francis and Viganò have had long standing disagreements, as Pope Francis even chose to replace Viganò’s job. In 2015, Viganò failed to impress Francis after he invited Kim Davis, a strong conservative and critic of gay rights, to meet with the Pope in Washington, during the Pope’s visit to the United State. This decision opposed Francis’s ideas on inclusivity, and gay rights. Besides offending Francis, the meeting had been arranged without his consent, which created tension between him and Viganò.
Pope Francis has been more liberal on gay rights and marriage than other Popes in the past. Because of this he’s faced many conservative critics. With Francis having more progressive policies, he’s faced criticism from Viganò.
One of the largest Atheist Groups in the United States, the Freedom from Religion Foundation, has asked for the Pope to resign.
"Priests were raping little boys and girls, and the men of God who were responsible for them not only did nothing; they hid it all, “Six dioceses, three hundred predatory priests, a staggering 1,000-plus victims. No bishops indicted. The pope’s response? All words, no action — except, insultingly, to call on the faithful to 'pray and fast," the group said in ad published this week in The New York Times.
The argument of whether the Pope should resign or not has been widely debated throughout the media, and religious organizations. However, his resignation would most likely only occur if Viganò’s accusations turned out to be proven true.
“I think that as a person of the church that letting allegations like these be just forgotten/removed is something that should not be let go of. No matter the allegation, whether it be sexual or something totally unrelated, the church should not dismiss it like it is nothing. Especially Pope Francis, who is looked up to by many other ministers and priests. For him to dismiss is does not show that he is a great role model for others,” said NHS sophomore Cat Darocha.
Although outrage has ensued following the accusations against Pope Francis, he’s yet to announce any plans to resign.
“Maybe there should be punishment because people were hurt mentally and emotionally however, he should not be removed as pope. I think that even though he knew what was going on was wrong, he was dismissing it for the good of the people,” said NHS sophomore Andy Marcelli.
Despite Pope Francis’ decision to not resign, it is possible for him to be removed although that would be extremely difficult. The Pope has the highest authority in the Catholic Church, so implicating him for heresy would be a challenge.
It’s impossible to predict what is to come next, but some say that the Catholic Church could potentially be encountering more difficulties.
Image courtesy of Hot Air.