Holy Father: Why have you allowed this man to take possession of his Cathedra?

Pope Francis with Bishop Juan Barros

Only days after stripping the disgraced pervert Cardinal, Keith O'Brien of his title and power and sending him to retire quietly in a £200,000 cottage, Pope Francis; amidst the outrage of the people of the Diocese of Osorno in Chile has permitted another bishop to take his Cathedra - a man implicated in the scandal of sodomy and perversion and the abuse of three men from the time they were boys. Is this to be considered another "who am I to judge" episode as with Msgr. Ricca appointed to a high position within the Vatican Bank? If so, then the definition of scandal has been forgotten along with a real understanding of mercy for those victimised by the evil and perverted pederasts who performed abominable acts upon young boys of teenaged years.

Victims ignored

Bishop Juan Barros, formerly of the Military Ordinariate in Chile has been made Ordinary of the Diocese of Osorno. Juan Carlos Cruz Chellew, James Hamilton Sánchez and José Andrés Murillo Urrutia said on Crux that they were "accustomed to the blows we have received from the Chilean hierarchy, but never directly from the Holy Father. It is hard to believe that it was the Pope himself who said a few days ago: "families should know that the Church makes great efforts to protect their children, who have a right to address her with confidence, because it is as safe house."

The Pope knew

Since this appointment was announced in January, Chileans have been outraged. Crux further reports that "The Archbishop of Concepción, Fernando Chomalí, met with the Pope a few weeks ago and warned him that the Barros appointment was causing consternation in Chile, not only in the community of Osorno, but throughout the country. Pope Francis admitted to knowing the suffering of the victims of Karadima and the damage to the Chilean church. However — despite everything — the Pope, through the Nuncio in Chile, Ivo Scapolo, reconfirmed Barros without considering the facts and warnings of so many people, including priests and bishops. With pain we see that the faithful will have to accept and deal with Pope Francis’ decision. A pain and fear we know too well."

Yet, Pope Francis still proceeded in spite of the warning. This is a scandal to the people of Osorno; it is a scandal and an insult to the three victims assaulted by a homosexual pederast priest whilst the then Fr. Juan Barros, watched.

The world is watching

Crux has now been reporting on this since it broke last week at the Associated Press. Patheos has picked it up finally and the secular media from the Toronto Star to the BBC to Al Jazeera are running with the story. 

The Pope must be accountable for this; not just to Almighty God, but to the smelly sheep in the periphery. 

As I stated in an interview with "From Rome" - Let us not, as Catholics, give an exaggerated status to any pope along the lines of what our protestant friends think – an infallibility without respect for the Gospel, which he does not possess. The First Vatican Council defined it very clearly.

All the talk of mercy, thumbs up photographs and the washing of feet and the daily media spin from the manipulators in the Vatican Press Office won't fix this. The Pope himself is responsible for this and there is no spinning out of it.

It is a disgrace to Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Church. 

In their dictatorship of mercy and condemnation of the Law and those who try to live by it some appear to have forgotten who is in charge.