Pope Francis has formed a commission to investigate the Vatican Bank. What makes this move very important is that the commission is to report to him directly, and bypass the Vatican bureaucracy.
John Paul I (he had such a kind face)
A number of books have been written about the corruption – and sometimes criminality – emanating from that bank.
It’s long been rumored that Pope John Paul I was murdered (in 1978) because he was about to focus attention on the bank. He was a humble man, perhaps in the style of Francis – the first pope to forego a ‘coronation’. John Paul I lasted 33 days. He was 55 when he was found dead in his bed. (Some of the theories about his death are here.)
So this is a big deal.
You can have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, or democracy. But you cannot have both.
Whatever Works 
Lol, you forget what “club” this guy decided to join. You also forget that it was the “club” who picked him to lead. Big deal, not so much. Though the optics do make is seem like they are going to change, almost like their predilection for little boys has gone by the wayside. Anytime people use a 2000 yr old group of books to be their moral guide(and then not even listen to what much of it says), tells me they are pretty much f***** up.
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T4T, I don’t think we can ignore the enormous impact of a leader of a billion people . . . what he’s going after, the Vatican Bank, is at the heart of much that’s happening economically today. They’ve been aligned with mafia, money laundering, criminality of all sorts . . . what this Pope is talking about has them shaking in their boots. He’s also speaking out forcefully against ‘destructive’ capitalism.
The Church’s sins are legion and I turned my head away 50 years ago when I understood they were just dedicated to hating women (and much of that hierarchy still is). But what a Pope does is relevant however I or others might feel about the Catholic Church.
This secular non-believer will cheer for him on this thing.
Now, let’s see what he says (and does!) about the sex scandals . . . .
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I agree, Moe, this is a very interesting development and one that seems to be the very definition of cognitive dissonance. Here we have in charge of the seminal branch of the world’s largest religion a man from a sub-branch (Jesuit) known for its intellectual adventures and political activism. I can’t see Francis undermining the power of the church but I can see him wanting to clean its image and at the same time get better financial control to squelch corruption.
I’ve often wondered what actually goes on in the head of a Pope. What does he really think? Does he think God really talks to him? Does he think that most people are mere simple sheep who need to be shielded from the reality of their mortality by those actually in the know (like himself)? What does he, if he is an intellectual, really think about human sexuality and the unnatural stricture on priests for marriage? Especially in light of the sex scandals?
Hollywood, I recall, made a movie somewhat on this theme in 1963, The Shoes of the Fisherman”, starring Anthony Quinn” as a reluctant and humble Pope who wanted to give away much of the Church’s vast wealth. I was struck in a memorable way by the odd demeanor of Quinn’s character, a man thrust into power that he didn’t actually want. It just didn’t make sense to me. Like I said, cognitive dissonance.
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JIm, you wonder if a Pope thinks God talks to him . . . I think modern Popes see themselves as CEO’s of a wealthy and powerful city-state and major players in geo-politics. Some have been craven and a few have tried to be gentle ‘shepherds’ of the flock (I’d put poor old John Paul I and John XXIII in that category).
I asked my brother, a former priest who watches this stuff, how someone like Francis could get elected. He said that as the body of Cardinals becomes less and less European and more and more of the Southern Hemisphere, especially Africa and South America – they are more removed the Vatican apparatus and in fact fight it. And they were a big influence on the vote. Add in the Northern Hemisphere Cardinals who are liberal outliers . . . that’s how it happened.
Perhaps it bodes well for the future and the church could become concerned with social justice and wealth distribution and runaway capitalism. If he can break up the Vatican hierarchy – a cabal actually – it will have enormous impact.
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Love it that you have insider insight, Moe. Will look forward to more of the same as this unfolds. 😉
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