Someone needs to step up to the plate and give the Vatican and it's Legionnaire Prelature some basic understanding of public relations. I'm not talking pastoral ability or anything further up the spiritual food chain, I'm talking basic public relations.
First there's this gem from the Vatican:
Bishop Williamson, in order to claim admission to episcopal functions in the church, must distance himself in absolutely unequivocal and public fashion from his positions regarding the Shoah, which were not known by the Holy Father when the excommunication was lifted.
This comes some two weeks after the start of the SSPX fiasco, more than likely as a direct response to the lashing coming the Vatican's way from Germany. The timing is just awful, very indicative of the Vatican being reactive rather than proactive. But then claiming Benedict didn't know anything about the anti semitic leanings in the SSPX is patently absurd. It's either an admission of senility, gross incompetence, an indication that Cardinal Hoyos is Benedict's puppet master, or an outright lie. I have my opinion as to which of these possibilities is true.
A good PR person would vett everything Benedict does before letting the man speak. A good PR person would suggest Benedict take a page from President Obama and apologize for his mistakes. That's far more palatable then hiding behind the 'I knew nothing' line of Sergeant Shultz.
Then there is this from the Legionnaire's.
Religion News Service reports that Scarafoni said the Legion had no plans to apologize to any alleged abuse victims or offer them pastoral care. "They have surely found a way by now to receive adequate care," he said.
Is this an admission that Marciel Maciel did in fact abuse teen age seminarians? --in a statement in which Scarafoni is trying to deny the allegations. What is he trying to do here? The entire world knows Maciel was disciplined for abusing seminarians and that the L of C and it's supporters did everything in their power to bury this information for over 50 years. It appears they are still trying to bury these allegations, but are having difficulties in the face of yet another sexual issue with their illustrious founder. Must be kind of mind confusing to remember to keep up one cover up, while admitting to another cover up. He did remember to refuse those L of C traitors any pastoral care or apologies. He did manage to keep on message with that issue.
A good PR person would shackle Scarafoni to his desk and throw away the key after a statement like that one. Their Sergeant Schulz defense about their illustrious leader is pathetic. Sure, they've known nothing for fifty years. Riigghhtt.
And then there's this letter from Fr. Alvaro Cocuera, head of the Legionnaire's to his Regnum Christi membership about the current 'difficulties.' He wrote it in front of the Eucharist, so it must be true.
So true in fact, it says virtually nothing about the current 'difficulties' and stresses all the spiritual fruits which came from Maciel's charism. It's the kind of thing I just can't get my head around. Obviously Maciel's disturbing flaws are glossed over and no recognition what so ever at all is given to the fact that Maciel and his clerical enablers have really embarrassed the greater Church. In many respects it's another apology using the Sergeant Shulz defense. Bull puckey.
Now for something totally different: the diversionary tactic. It's courtesy of Archbishop Raymond Burke:
VATICAN: BISHOPS MUST REFUSE COMMUNION TO PRO-ABORTION POLITICIANS Washington, DC (4 February 2009) –
Judie Brown, president of American Life League, issued a statement today in response to an interview in which Archbishop Raymond Burke, prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, the Vatican's highest court, stated,"There's not a question that a Catholic who publicly, and after admonition, supports pro-abortion legislation is not to receive Holy Communion and is not to be given Holy Communion … This is a law of the universal Church and it should be applied."
Notice how he says it 'should' be universally applied. The problem is, as he well knows, a bishop determines his pastoral policy with in his own diocese. Judie Brown may be all excited about this but it's mostly hot air.
I have no doubt that part of the defense used by the Legionnaires and their supporters will be to tell us that pro choice politicians do far more damage to the church than hypocritical pedophile spiritual leaders such as Maciel. They may have a point, at least in the sense that no hypocritical pedophile spiritual leader has ever been denied the Eucharist. A good PR person wouldn't even touch the logic of that one. Why a good PR person might even use the Sergeant Schultz ploy!
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