Now he has turned his attention to the corruption within catholic institutions, most notably the organized crime by the mafia relating to the Vatican Bank.
According to organized crime experts, Pope Francis' "crusade against corruption in the Catholic Church" has put him at odds with the mafia that control aspects of the Vatican Bank. The Catholic Church and Italian mafia have had "a long and complicated history... gangsters often paid for local church repairs or bankrolled feast day celebrations for Catholic saints... In exchange, Catholic officials kept silent about their illicit deeds."
I am rather shocked that such corruption has been allowed to continue for so long, especially in conjunction with such as supposedly righteous institution as the Catholic Church. Obviously, Pope Francis is right to expunge the bank of corruption, but are there other things to consider? Is ending generations of corruption worth the risk to his life? Consider from the point of view of, say, a Catholic homosexual, or an aspiring female clergy(wo?)man. Pope Francis may be their only chance in their lifetime to gain recognition from the Catholic Church, since they have been traditionally shunned (or worse). Is the risk still worth it?
2 comments:
First of all, I believe that Pope Francis has shown extreme bravery in his stances that haven't perfectly gone along with what the Catholic Church has previously believed. The problem here lies in the fact that because of his views, he has made enemies, such as the Mafia (one that nobody wants to have as an enemy). If the Pope was to solve the corruption, he would go down as even more of a hero and historical figure than he already is. In voicing his opinions and becoming the Pope of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis accepted the fact that he could be in danger. This makes me believe that he should continue to do what he believes is right for the people and the Church. By unearthing this corruption, the Pope will succeed against the Mafia in the long run, even if they succeed at first. Pope Francis has stood up when others have not, and I commend him for it.
Oh yeah, I think Pope Francis knows that too. There are somethings in your life that you have to be willing to die for and Pope Francis knows that. He lives for Christ and will die for it if that is what will take to "purify" the corruption that has been occurring in the vatican. This man has guts going against what has seemed to be century long corruption in the vatican, and becoming more "liberal." He isn't picking and choosing things out of the holy book. It will be interesting to see what actions are taken in the future.
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