We are living the curse of "interesting times."

I don't consider the war in Ukraine "interesting," but horrifying so I'm not going to talk about it except to say, people need to stop listening to the simplistic pap of CNN, MSNBC, and the blathering idiots on The View. I suspect those folks haven't cracked a book since they used Cliff Notes in college and term paper websites for their essays and theses. Have they read the Pandora Papers about Zelensky's offshore stash, one of the things his predecessor was booted for? Do they know anything about the U.S. involvement in the 2014 coup in Ukraine that threw out a DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED president and replaced him with someone more agreeable to U.S. interests? Hey, Uncle Joe needed the buddy system so Hunter could cash in on his Ukraine connections. But...I said I wasn't going to talk about the war, so I'll switch to a very interesting item. 

Sandro Magister of L’Espresso, a well-known Vatican reporter just released an anonymous memo, under the name "Demos" - Greek for people, that may have been written by a Cardinal. Or, considering the plural nature of the name, perhaps by several insiders. The memo addresses the catastrophic situation at the Vatican and the next conclave which is likely to take place in the next few years. I'm publishing the entire memo with highlighted sections and my comments. As I said, it's interesting. 

Really! Is Everything Realeased by the Vatican Put through the Spin Machine?

UPDATE: From Steve Skojec - Personal Thoughts on the Benedict Correspondence

We've all been hearing how heartily Pope Emeritus Benedict endorsed the theological writings of Pope Francis. He's a brilliant theologian don't you know?

Well, it now appears that the famous Benedict letter was doctored, that Pope Benedict hasn't read Pope Francis' works, and that the Vatican wasn't satisfied with the kind words he DID say, so they just conveniently put a fake spin on the letter.

Is the Mercy of Pope Francis Filling Confessionals with Penitents?

Not according to an Italian priest who sent a letter to Sandro Magister at Chiesa. Some of its contents are heartbreaking to say the least. Is a "penitent" who reflects no sorrow for sin and has no firm purpose of amendment to avoid sin in the future making a "good confession?" I recommend you read the entire article and entire letter from the priest. I plan to make sacrifices today in atonement for the two "penitents" Father mentions and also for Pope Francis:

"The facts are these. Since the opening of the Holy Year backed by Pope Francis and on the occasion of the Christmas festivities of 2015 - as also since Jorge Mario Bergoglio has been sitting on the throne of Peter - the number of faithful who approach the confessional has not increased.... The trend of a progressive, rapid diminution of the frequency of sacramental reconciliation that has characterized recent decades has not stopped. On the contrary: the confessionals of my church have been largely deserted. 

Moynihan vs. Magister: Which Vatican Watcher Would You Trust?

I read Inside the Vatican and its editor's "Moynihan Letters," but I was so put off by one of them this past week that I won't be giving quite so much credence to Moynihan's views in the future. He seems to me to be outfitted in rose-colored glasses with a message sweat shirt that reads "The Pope is Always Right and I'm His Cheerleader!" 

What made me reassess Moynihan? His opinions on the Extraordinary Synod and his almost breathless acceptance of Kasper et al's statements that nobody is trying to change doctrine on marriage. What! Here's a section from his November 14th letter titled Francis Has His Hand On The Tiller — And He Will Not Change Doctrine:

I attended a round-table the other evening, on November 11... at which Cardinal Walter Kasper spoke. Kasper, just back in Rome after a trip to the United States, was joined by Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, one of the leading canon lawyers in the Church, and now President of the Vatican's most important canon law office, the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts...The two discussed the October Synod on the Family for an hour and a half....

Is Pope Francis Like Cardinal Bernardin?

Several days ago I commented that Pope Francis reminds me of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin. It expressed my befuddlement over what the pope says. It was common for Cardinal Joseph to articulalate a teaching of the Church in one breath and imply that personal conscience could overrule the teaching in the next. I'm not aware that he ever emphasized the importance of an informed conscience and what that meant.

Now a respected observer of the Vatican, Sandro Magister, has compared Pope Francis' approach to Cardinal Bernardin's and described him as "separating himself" from his predecessors: