Posted on 07/24/2019 7:21:59 PM PDT by marshmallow
ROSARIO, Argentina - An Argentine priest who knew Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires prior to his election as Pope Francis claims that in 2005, Pope emeritus Benedict XVI offered Bergoglio the position of Secretary of State, effectively the second most important position in the Vatican after the papacy itself, but the future pontiff turned it down.
Benedict XVI reportedly wanted Bergoglio to be his Secretary of State to help him clean up the Catholic Church’s central government, known as the Roman Curia. Eight years later, Bergoglio himself was elected to the papacy, in part precisely on a mandate of curial reform.
Several sources consulted by Crux who were close to Bergoglio in 2005 said they couldn’t confirm or deny the claim but found it “plausible.”
“I know Pope Paul VI suffered much due to the corruption in the Holy See,” Father Fernando Miguens told Crux in Buenos Aires. “I know John Paul II suffered due to it too, but he decided that mission would be his priority.”
“Poor Benedict tried to face it, and to do so, he approached Bergoglio to appoint him as his Secretary of State, but Jorge told him no,” Miguens said.
“Benedict wanted to choose someone who had the nails of a ‘guitar player’ so that this person could face the reform,” the priest said in an exclusive interview with Crux.
Miguens is the former rector of the Catholic seminary of San Miguel on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.
Although this is the first time anyone has claimed Benedict wanted Bergoglio as his Secretary of State, it was widely rumored during the late St. John Paul II years that the Argentine cardinal might be in line for a top Vatican position. Veteran Italian Vatican writer Sandro Magister reported in 2002 that after a strong......
(Excerpt) Read more at cruxnow.com ...
He should still be Pope. I wonder what Francis had on him.
No. He was protecting others maybe even the Church. No one has anything on Pope B XVI.
Is it possible for Francis to be an "semi"-Antipope?
A "semi"-AntiChrist?
Surreal world.
I feel disoriented, gaslighted --- that's for sure.
Let's pray for one anoyher.
“An Argentine priest who knew Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio...”
Immediate rejection. No credibility. Benedict XVI is a Church Doctor and he was squeezed out by losers who do not worship God. Sad. As Laurel would say to Ollie, “We are in a fine mess.” Just think of the good things the Lord has planned for us and we can always find a Latin mass.
I’d imagine this story is being floated out there in an attempt to legitimize Red Frankie as a growing number of serious Catholics question the validity of his papacy. Here in the US, what is undermining him is his selection of heretics and enablers of sexual abuse for high positions. While the former Cardinal of Washington DC is now defrocked and disgraced, the fruits of his lobbying (pardon the pun) are still very much in power. The selection of Wilton Gregory for that position has indicated there is no reform on the horizon; he had too much baggage with the old regime, and it will clearly be business as usual (dying and closing parishes, dwindling resources, politics replacing faith).
fake news
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.