Vatican letter fiasco: Benedict no victim

Red Stamp on a white background - ConfidentialAt Holy Mass yesterday, the sermon delivered by Fr. Joel Kiefer, FSSP (a gifted preacher) was focused on the evil of lying as discussed in the Roman Catechism’s treatment of the Eighth Commandment, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

The Roman Catechism, quoting the words of Solomon, reminds us that the Lord “hateth” six things, but there is a seventh that He “despiseth” (i.e., that which He finds especially repugnant), and that is “a deceitful witness that uttereth lies.”

Considering recent news out of Rome, the timing of yesterday’s sermon was remarkable if not providential.

It has come to light (see Edward Pentin’s report) that the now infamous letter of Benedict the Abdicator commenting on the series of books, Theology of Pope Francis, includes the following paragraph that the Vatican deliberately attempted to hide from public view:

Only as an aside, I would like to note my surprise at the fact that among the authors is also Professor Hünermann, who during my pontificate had distinguished himself by leading anti-papal initiatives. He played a major part in the release of the “Kölner Erklärung”, which, in relation to the encyclical “Veritatis splendour”, virulently attacked the magisterial authority of the Pope, especially on questions of moral theology. Also the “Europaische Theologengesellschaft”, which he founded, was initially conceived by him as an organization in opposition to the papal magisterium. Later, the ecclesial sentiment of many theologians prevented this orientation, allowing that organization to become a normal instrument of encounter among theologians.”

So, let’s engage in a little deductive reasoning, shall we:

God despiseth a deceitful witness that uttereth lies. By hiding the aforementioned portion of Benedict’s letter in order to make it appear as an endorsement for the books they hope to sell, the Vatican’s PR team is clearly guilty of propagating a deceitful witness that uttereth lies. Therefore, God despiseth the behavior of the Vatican’s PR team.

The Roman Catechism is a wonderful resource, but let’s be honest:

By the light of the natural law alone even a heathen can discern that the Creator despises such wickedness as that which has been perpetrated by the Vatican.

In a futile attempt to explain away its deceitfulness, the Vatican issued a statement that served only to deepen the hole by divulging that Benedict’s letter “was confidential.”

Yes, you read that correctly:

No portion of Benedict’s letter, which was addressed directly to Msgr. Dario Viganò, Prefect of the Secretariat for Communications, was ever supposed to be made public.

In spite of having violated Benedict’s confidence, given that this was done in order to burnish the image of the Heretic-in-Chief, one assumes that Viganò’s position is still safe; unless, of course, he is made a bishop and given a promotion.

In any case, what may not be so evident is the wickedness of the man that most people seem to consider the victim.

As made evident in his confidential letter, Benedict is deeply dismayed that the likes of Professor Peter Hünermann are included among the authors of Theology of Pope Francis.

Note well the reason:

He played a major part in virulently attacking the magisterial authority of the Pope, especially on questions of moral theology in relation to the encyclical Veritatis Splendor.   

Readers may recall that the Dubia cites Veritatis Splendor in no less than three of its five yes/no questions, and it does so in such a way as to attest to the heretical nature of the so-called “theology of Francis” as made plain in Amoris Laetitia.

And now we find Benedict rightly pointing out, not only the scandal of giving Peter Hünermann a quasi-official platform from which to broadcast his anti-magisterial views, but even more importantly, the danger of attacking the immutable “moral truths” reiterated in Veritatis Splendor!

This is the same letter in which Benedict hails the “profound philosophical and theological formation” of Francis – the author of Amoris Laetitia – while declaring the “interior continuity” that exists between their two pontificates.

At this, let us consider yet again the Roman Catechism, which tells us that the Eighth Commandment “forbids hypocrisy” and “prohibits dissimulation;” the latter referring to “actions, as well as words,” that serve to conceal “what is in our mind.”

With this in our mind, it is clear that the most important revelation to emerge from the Vatican letter fiasco isn’t so much that Benedict was victimized by duplicitous men who betrayed his confidence, but rather that Benedict is actively victimizing the entire Church by virtue of his own hypocrisy and dissimulation.

No real shocker here, I suppose. After all, this is the same Josef Ratzinger who has long played a major role in the Vatican’s deception surrounding the Third Secret of Fatima, and, according to the Roman Catechism, lying “is an almost incurable disease.”

The Roman Catechism goes on to denounce as violations of the Eighth Commandment “flattery and insincere praise;” ultimately stating that the “most impious lies of all” are those “uttered against or regarding religion.”

In the end, we – that is, people the world over – are the victims of the Vatican’s latest act of fakery; though it must be said that Jesus Christ alone is worthy of much better.

As for Ratzinger, Viganò, and Bergoglio; they deserve one another as each one, in their own way, is a liar of the most detestable kind.

AKA No Voice 2

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