The Shame of the Vatican; PBS Frontline
PBS recently aired a 90-minute documentary titled “Secrets of the Vatican.” My friends watched it, and it was so filled with vile revelations that one of them, a very devout Catholic husband, said something like, “Why be associated with anything so heinous and corrupt?”
From what I heard, the documentary explained why Pope Benedict abdicated. Essentially, it was due to the rampant corruption in the Curia and money laundering involving the Vatican Bank. Pope Benedict reportedly did not have the strength or means to fight it.
These are the very same issues that the pope’s butler, Paolo Gabriele, tried to expose back in 2010 by leaking information to the media. He claimed the Holy Spirit guided him to act out of love for the Church, fully aware he would suffer terribly for exposing corruption and Masonic activity within the Vatican. He spent his first 20 days in a tiny cell, unable to stretch out his arms, with a light on 24 hours that damaged his eyesight.
The documentary also reported on the presence of homosexual priests in Rome. It retold an undercover journalist’s report from four years ago, which documented visits to bars and parties frequented by homosexual priests. It even recounted a priest having homosexual relations with the reporter’s friend all night, only to get up afterward and put on his vestments to say Mass.
Additionally, the film exposed a priest who raped an eight-year-old girl in a church in the U.S. We are all furious and ashamed of the widespread sexual abuse by priests—mostly homosexual priests abusing young men and children. I believe the pope, cardinals, and bishops are not sufficiently aware of the disgust and anger so many Catholics feel about this abuse crisis.
But the problem extends beyond Catholics. There is also vehement hatred toward Jesus’ Catholic Church from many outside the Church. I once read comments under a newspaper article about abuse, and they were filled with such vile hatred for the Catholic Church and any priest that it was shocking.
Adding to this, billions of dollars – money donated by average Catholics—have been paid out in lawsuits to victims and lawyers. Many dioceses have gone, or are going, bankrupt as a result. Important buildings and land have been sold to cover these settlements—properties that were meant to support the mission of Jesus through His Church.
I bring all this up to emphasize that our Catholic Church faces grave problems. Most of these abuses, both sexual and financial, have multiplied since the liberalization of Church teachings, especially after Vatican II and the sexual revolution of the 1960s. Sin has always been present in the Church from the beginning, but it has grown significantly in recent decades.
At the same time this documentary aired, the pope and bishops worldwide are persecuting orthodox and traditional priests. While a blind eye is often turned to bad priests, many traditional priests are marginalized and ostracized in dioceses today.
Just when the Church most needs a cure for this evil virus—true traditional Catholic teaching and the Latin Mass—those who could administer it are silenced. Even the progressive Pope Paul VI admitted that “the smoke of Satan had entered the Church.”
This brings me to the very controversial Society of St. Pius X. Yes, they are not in canonical union with Rome. But all they teach is what the Church has always taught for centuries. While progressives are canonized, the Society is labeled extreme and treated as if they are the devil incarnate. Don’t we have it backwards? Just fifty years ago, they would have been just one more part of the Church. We wouldn’t even have noticed them. Now they are called “ultra ultra conservatives.”
I do not advocate attending their Latin Masses, but I do appreciate what they teach and the Catholic patrimony they have preserved for us to return to.
Yes, much of the press seeks to paint the entire Mystical Body of Christ as evil, to dismiss what Jesus wants to teach humanity through His Church. But at the same time, it is important to admit what truly is evil within our Church, repent of it, and return to Biblical teachings and authentic Catholic life. We must pray that those in hierarchical power repent and reform the Church rather than continue accommodating the evil influences of modern society.
Each of us traditional Catholics deeply love Jesus, His Church, and all people – saints and sinners alike. We can begin by living chaste lives and adhering to the Church’s orthodox teachings. Then we put our trust in God’s power, who will respond in time to our humble prayers. We joyfully share the truth and accept persecution and marginalization out of love for God, the Church, and our neighbor. We know this is not our final home, and in the end, God always wins.
It is truly wonderful to be a traditional Catholic.
