Bengts Blogg

Blixt träffar Peterskyrkan 11 febr 2013, c:a 6 tim och 20 min efter att Benedikt XVI tillkännagivit att han avgår som påve

Medan kardinalerna förbereder sig för konklaven fortsätter jag att läsa Robert Moynihans rapporter om Vatileaks och de tre kardinalernas hemliga rapport till Benedikt XVI. Moynihan är journalist och Vatikankännare, grundare av Inside the Vatican och stationerad i Rom.

Jag konstaterar inledningsvis att prof i religionshistoria vid Stockholms Universitet Christer Hedin i en intervju i Fokus ger ne mycket förenklad bild av Katolska kyrkan och Vatikanen.

– Ni minns de tre kardinalerna, under ordförandeskap av kard Julian Herranz och deras rapport som lades fram för Benedikt XVI 17 december. Den finns bara i ett exemplar och skall överlämnas till den nye påven. Kardinalerna har säkerligen låtit informera sig om innehållet i rapporten under de dagar de varit samlade innan konklaven.

– Ni minns artikeln i La Repubblica av Concita De Gregorio där det påstods att påven blivit chockad av vad som framkom i den hemliga rapporten vilket skulle ha bidragit till hans beslut att avgå…

– …som i sin tur byggde på en artikel i veckomagasinet Panorama av Ignazio Ingrao. Om Moynihans intervju med Ingrao här.

don Ariel S. Levi di Gualdo

– Ni minns att Moynihan nämnde en bok från 2011 av den italienske prästen don Ariel S. Levi di Gualdo som enligt uppgift också skall ha överlämnats till många funktionärer i Vatikanen, bl.a. till kardinal Julian Herranz, en av rapportförfattarna.

I sitt senaste brev, Sunday Midnight, berättar M om en intervju med don Ariel.
Boken heter på italienska E Satana si fece trino (Och satan gjorde sig treenig) Han är en 49-årig präst från Toscana, blev kristen vid 43 års ålder och har därefter studerat till präst och prästvigts i Rom. Han studerade för F Peter Gumpel S.J. som är involverad i helgonförklaringsprocessen av Pius XII.

I boken beskriver han vad han ser som de stora problem som underminerar kyrkan idag: relativism, individualism, olydnad. Han påstår också i boken att det finns ett vitt förgrenat nätverk av homosexuella präster inom kyrkan. Han menar att de präster som var involverade i regelrätt pedofili var ett ganska litet antal, men att fallen av ”psykologisk homosexualitet” involverade ett mycket större antal präster.

I intervjun med M säger Levi di Gualdo att han har erfarenheter av prästseminarier där 8 av tio är homosexuella och där de som har en ortodox katolsk grundhållning motarbetas. Det är ett sexuellt frimureri som sträcker sig in i Vatikanen, påstår han.

Moynihan förhåller sig kritiskt avvaktande till detta och konstaterar att inga namn nämns i boken, och de exempel han ger är så diffust angivna att det går inte att verifiera.

Jag citerar direkt från Moynihans text:

”…What did don Ariel have to say about all this?

Well, he told me that he had, in fact, delivered a copy of his book to Ingrao about a week before Ingrao wrote his article.

He also told me that last fall, he sent copies of his book to a number of members of the Roman Curia, including Cardinal Julian Herranz, the head of the committee of three cardinals that investigated the “Vatileaks” affair, Cardinal Jozef Tomko and Cardinal Salvatore De Giorgi, the other two cardinals on that investigating committee.

He also told me that Herranz’s secretary had responded to the gift, thanking don Ariel for the book.

When I asked his for evidence of that response, he showed me a copy of the thank you note he received. I have a photograph of it.

He also showed me copies of a number of other thank you notes he received from other Curial officials to whom he had given the book.

He also told me that he had had a face-to-face meeting in October with Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran — the French cardinal who will announce the name of the new Pope once he is elected.

“Well,” I said, “you make some disturbing claims in your book, but in the end, where is your evidence?”

“I did prevalently an inquiry of a psychological type, based on my own experience here in Italy, and on conversations with many other priests and seminarians,” don Ariel said.

“But no one reading your book could gain any real insight into the actual membership and activity of these ‘lobbies’ that you claim exist, how important they are, what they do precisely,” I said.

“Rather than give names and statistics, I did a study of a method of operating,” don Ariel replied. “That is the more important point for me. I have experience in seminary where seven or eight out of 10 seminarians were gay, and the last two were kicked out for being too ‘orthodox’ and ‘normal.’… 

[don Ariel:] ”We need a warrior Pope, a Pope of tremendous energy and courage. Pope Benedict was a man of great orthodoxy, of great teaching, and we are all grateful to him. But for his whole life, he was a man of study. One does not become a man of government suddenly at the age of 78…

Benedict has now grown old, and he realized that he could not carry out the needed cleansing,” don Ariel continued. “I fear the cardinals will choose a compromise figure. We do not need a compromise figure, but a strong, charismatic figure who will handle the situation…

The priority, whoever is elected, must be a reform of the Roman Curia. For the past 40 years, it has become ever more autonomous from the Supreme Pontiff.” ”

Efter mötet med don Ariel berättar Moynihan att han tillfälligtvis möter en kvinna han inte träffat på länge, en expert på Vatikanens affärer, någon han litar på. Han beskriver deras konversation:

“Hey,” I said.

“It’s been a long time,” she said.

“Yes.” There was a slight drizzle. The air was thick with humidity, and cool.

“I’ve been disoriented since February 11,” I said.

“We all have been,” she said.

“I simply don’t know what to believe,” I said. “Did Benedict leave because of old age alone, or was he in some way forced out? And who can replace him?”

“Your question is too black and white,” she said. “You’ve left out the nuances. Benedict took the time to assess the situation. He formed the commission of the three cardinals, and they took their time, and presented their report.

“In the meantime, Benedict’s health was declining. I saw him recently, and he reminded me of how my mother, who was 90, looked about two weeks before she died.

“Last fall, he had two small strokes. These did not incapacitate him, but they worried him. He feared he might experience a more serious stroke.

“So Benedict did what he does best: he went to prayer. And in deep prayer, he struggled to understand what the Lord was calling him to do, knowing also all of the problems that still remained for him to deal with. And eventually he came to clarity: his sight was going, his hearing was going, his memory was going, he was not sleeping at night, and he realized he could not give the service to the Church that the Church desperately needed.

“Rather than continue to decline, he made the decision to step aside and allow a younger and stronger man, chosen with the help of the Holy Spirit, and not by his own decision, to take up the work that needs to be done.”

“And these stories of a ‘gay lobby’ in the Curia?” I asked.

“Look,” she said. “It’s not just one. There are several groups. And it’s not simply about being gay. The concern is that these groups are in competition with one other. There are careers at stake. Promotions. In this environment, all types of information, including information about a person’s sexuality — even rumors or lies about a person’s sexuality — can be employed to introduce doubt about a person, or to gain an advantage. Careers can be blocked. Alliances can be formed to consolidate power. Agendas can be sabotaged — even the agenda of the Pope himself.”

“But the Pope entrusted the management of the Curia to someone he trusted, Cardinal Bertone,” I said. “How did it all go wrong?”

“That’s a long story,” she said. “Are you going to have supper? Why don’t you come over to the house for dinner? That will give us more time to talk.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Sounds wonderful.”

“It won’t be anything special,” she said. “Just some leftovers.”

“Perfect,” I said…

Alltså, vi väntar på fortsättningen…