The current pontiff pope Francis, was elected by the cardinals on the 13th March 2013. Not long after his becoming pope it appeared that the new pope had a different way of doing things.. a more humble approach than his predecessors. Pope Francis abolished the bonuses paid to Vatican employees upon the election of a new pope, amounting to several million Euros, opting instead to donate the money to charity. He abolished the €25,000 annual bonus paid to the cardinals serving on the Board of Supervisors for the Vatican Bank. Changing with tradition he elected to wear a white cassock, not the red, ermine-trimmed mozzetta as used by the previous two popes. He also decided to keep his iron pectoral cross that he had worn as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, rather than the gold one worn by other popes.
He washed the feet of criminals, he stood to receive his cardinals rather than sit and when a new Mercedes was presented to his holiness he decided to let his security people have it and drive around in his old blue 2008 Ford Focus. When he made his first trip to The united states he settled for a Fiat 500, however he did have a special pope mobile made for him by Jeep for his trip to New York.
So a new boss in the big chair and all is different! ? Well.......no.
In a recent interview with a Dutch newspaper Straatnieuws" which is actually published by the homeless from the city of Utrecht as to why the pope does not sell off the "treasures of the church" Pope Francis responded, "This is an easy question. They are not the treasures of the Church, [but] the treasures of humanity." He stated "If tomorrow I say that Michelangelo's Pieta is going to be auctioned, it can't be done, because it's not the property of the Church. It's inside a Church, but it belongs to humanity." He added that this is true "for all the treasures of the Church."
So if the pieta was stolen, taken without consent and given to a museum for all to see would the "church" not demand it be returned to them? If it belongs to humanity then let humanity see it without condition , reward or donation and the same for all the other treasures they have stored in their vaults. Why do they deny access to them from humanity who wish to study and research these treasures. Special permission is needed in all cases.
Why is the Vatican bank shrouded in mystery? why does it not divulge it's dealing and profits? very simple, greed and power. It is and always will be the churches way. Pretending that the church is not like is it an affront to the world. they are like little children not wishing to share.
During an interview on Vatican Radio when asked about hypocritical Catholics Pope Francis responded by declaring that it is a scandal they (Catholics) are leading a double life. He continued;-
“But what is scandal? Scandal is saying one thing and doing another; it is a double life, a double life. A totally double life: ‘I am very Catholic, I always go to Mass, I belong to this association and that one; but my life is not Christian, I don’t pay my workers a just wage, I exploit people, I am dirty in my business, I launder money…’ A double life. And so many Christians are like this, and these people scandalize others. “How many times have we heard – all of us, around the neighborhood and elsewhere – ‘but to be a Catholic like that, it’s better to be an atheist.’ It is that, scandal. You destroy. You beat down. And this happens every day, it’s enough to see the news on TV, or to read the papers. In the papers there are so many scandals, and there is also the great publicity of the scandals. And with the scandals there is destruction.”
So this pope, the Holy father, the Bishop of Rome is explaining a common phrase used to insult and degrade by association, Stating a bad Catholic that is a hypocrite may as well be an Atheist.. Very Catholic of this man to be so Judgmental offensive and elitist to believe he has the moral high ground whilst acting in the exact same manner as the Catholics he is berating. He, as head of the Catholic church is the biggest hypocrite of them all. Atheists do not act in a moral way out of fear of a genocidal jealous god, we do good out of empathy for our fellow human beings without thought of a reward in an afterlife. We do not need to be blackmailed or coerced.
It appears an Atheist is second class person according to the church, like women, homosexuals and of course little boys all there for their amusement and ridicule. To be judged and scorned and degraded.
In 2013 the pope appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica with Godfried Danneels in the Pope's initial presentation, as well as appointments he received from Francis. Danneels had previously recommended silence on sex-crimes committed by priests. In 2014 his rehabilitation of Fr. Mauro Inzoli, who was defrocked in 2012 for sexually abusing minors, sparked controversy. In 2015, he was criticized for supporting Chilean bishop Juan Barros, who was accused over covering up sex-crimes against minors. In February 2017, further criticism from clergy sex abuse survivors erupted when it was revealed that the Pope had quietly made the Church-recommended sentence for clergy convicted of sex abuse a lifetime of prayer rather than a recommendation to serve time in jail.
The church is doing what is has always done protect it's own and hide away pedophile priests. same old same old...... BUT there is something new. The new pope thinks it is right and proper to use violence ( once a bouncer always a bouncer I guess)