The Manila Times

Cardinals clash in Vatican ‘House of Cards’

- ClashA8

VATICAN CITY: A real-life version of the hit political drama “House of Cards” is unfolding at the Vatican, from cardinals openly defying the pope to anonymous posters sullying his name.

In the latest episode, a group of powerful Princes of the Church released a statement defending Pope Francis – but religious watchers warn work in the favor of his conservati­ve challenger­s.

“No pope controls everything,” said Vatican expert

Luigi Accattoli. “There has always been some resistance, even from cardinals.”

But this time the critics are “louder and more numerous.”

The root of the row lies with the Argentine pontiff’s calls for the church to be more understand­ing towards those it considers “sinners,” and in particular his intimation last year that some believers who have divorced and remarried should be able to take communion.

Traditiona­lists were horri is for life as preached by Christ partner for whatever reason and marrying someone else is considered adultery.

Four conservati­ve cardinals accused the pope of sowing confusion and demanded an answer to “doubts” about family guidelines Francis published in April.

Resistance, support

US cardinal Raymond Burke took on the guise of conspirato­r in pope in November that he could be sanctioned if he does not reply.

Burke has since become a rallying point for conservati­ves, often giving interviews criticizin­g Francis’ decisions.

Religious watcher Sandro Magister told AFP that inside the Vatican there was “great resistance towards a pope who opens doors in every direction and is ambiguous.”

Francis said he was “not losing sleep” over the challenge to his authority. But another run-in with

The pontiff had already demoted the American two years previously when he moved him from the Apostolic Signatura, the be the ceremonial “patron” of the Knights of Malta.

In January, after a row between the Vatican and the ancient order, Francis appointed a “pontifical delegate” to help run the Knights – sidelining Burke again.

As soon as he did, a series of anti-pope posters were plastered - tators. The following week, a satirical spoof of the Vatican newspaper L’Osservator­e Romano appeared, with a fake pontiff shown flip him by the four cardinals.

Francis’s “C9” council of cardinal advisers clearly felt action was needed. On Monday it issued a statement via the Vatican expressing its “full support” for the pope.

‘Unintended consequenc­es’

C9 member Cardinal Reinhard Marx said that while bickering may be par for the course in the ancient institutio­n, the council had felt it was time to reaffirm its “loyalty.”

The German cardinal told journalist­s on Wednesday the C9 “didn’t want to make a great thing of it, a great drama” in backing Francis.

Another cardinal, Francesco Coccopalme­rio, released a book published by the Vatican press backing the pope’s opening on the possibilit­ies for remarried divorced people to take communion.

But Vatican expert John Allen said their support could be a double-edged sword and risked having “unintended consequenc­es.”

“Generally speaking, you know a manager is in trouble when somebody has to put out a state in his or her leadership,” he wrote in Cruxnow.com.

“By engaging it in such a high lending “a significan­ce to the anti- Francis blowback” that it did not have before, he said.

 ??  ?? Pope Francis
Pope Francis
 ??  ?? Cardinal Burke
Cardinal Burke

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