In Case You Missed Them
Links to recent articles, as requested by some readers.
Some regular readers of this blog have written to say they often miss my full articles as they are published on the main site, so I’m posting links and summaries to three of the most recent articles below. We hope to put a system in place soon to allow all authors' articles to be found in one place.
Pope Francis and Reform: Financial Problems Persist
An assessment of the Pope’s financial reforms after 5 years, showing that despite starting off well, in the words of an informed source they are now “dead, over, finished, they've been blocked.” The corruption continues, he said, “it’s just better concealed” and the state of Vatican finances is now back to what it was 5 years ago, possibly worse. Another informed source said the problems have been “exaggerated” by the media. The article also discloses that the highest authorities in the Vatican were warned not to give more money to a dermatological hospital in Rome, but they went ahead anyway, taking $25 million from the Papal Foundation, despite opposition from the foundation's benefactors.
Former Seminarians Allege Grave Sexual Misconduct by Honduran Bishop Pineda
A two-month Register investigation into allegations of sexual abuse and corruption by Auxiliary Bishop Juan Jose Pineda of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The archdiocese, led by close papal aide Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, was subject to a papal investigation last year which obtained evidence of corruption and abuse, much of which is reported in this article. Bishop Pineda has been left in charge of the archdiocese while Cardinal Maradiaga receives medical treatment in the U.S. The Pope and the Vatican have yet to take any action and would not respond to Register enquiries about the issue, neither would Cardinal Maradiaga nor Bishop Pineda.
Pope Francis and Reform: Clergy Sexual Abuse
An assessment of the Holy Father’s record on handling cases of clerical sex abuse, and the abuse issue in general. The Pope has introduced a number of lauded safeguards including establishing the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, but he has been criticized for inaction, leniency and even interference in individual cases, leading some to question his commitment to eradicating clerical sex abuse.
Edward Pentin Edward Pentin is the Register’s Senior Contributor and EWTN News Vatican Analyst. He began reporting on the Pope and the Vatican with Vatican Radio before moving on to become the Rome correspondent for EWTN's National Catholic Register. He has also reported on the Holy See and the Catholic Church for a number of other publications including Newsweek, Newsmax, Zenit, The Catholic Herald, and The Holy Land Review, a Franciscan publication specializing in the Church and the Middle East. Edward is the author of The Next Pope: The Leading Cardinal Candidates (Sophia Institute Press, 2020) and The Rigging of a Vatican Synod? An Investigation into Alleged Manipulation at the Extraordinary Synod on the Family (Ignatius Press, 2015). Follow him on Twitter at @edwardpentin.
